The Justice for Stupidity
by Willpayforkyouya
Summary: Set after the anime, may hold spoilers! Kyouya decides to get back at Tamaki's antics during the Ouran Festival. However, as his plan unfolds, Haruhi obliviously stalls it's initial effects, even to the final steps of his plot.
1. Kyouya's Game

**A/N:**

_It's been a while, hasn't it?_

_Well, this time I'm going to go with the anime version of Ouran High School Host Club's ending and continuing on from there. So if you haven't seen all of Ouran, some of this may be a little confusing. It's not a very good spoiler...right now._

_Anyway, my characterization is a bit off now since I haven't written for a fan-fiction piece in some time, but I tried to present a first chapter to what I hope is an interesting story._

_Please, enjoy and review._

* * *

_Chapter One_

_Kyouya's Game_

* * *

"Does anyone else feel some-what pissed off other than me?"

Kyouya glanced up from the chart displayed upon the screen of his notebook computer. The same one he had kept since it was released earlier that year, and it had been a faithful Pineapple notebook, especially in aiding his plans to take over the Ootori hospitals and scrape up every bit of his father's power just to throw it back in his face. Of course, that didn't stop him from checking in on the incomes every now and then. His father was in charge, but he still had a firm grip on his company's workings.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru touched his brother's shoulder with an honestly puzzled expression that told Kyouya the twins were not on the same wave-length for once.

"How can everything revert back to the way it was after the festival?"

"Is that the released bone marrow speaking or your emotions?" the third son asked casually, earning a sharp glance from the elder Hitachiin.

Kaoru settled his brother down while Kyouya went back to his work, trying to put out the blaze that Ootori had definitely fanned into flame.

Ootori, Kyouya was not stupid, everyone knew of that, especially him. He knew that things had not completely reverted back to the way they were since the Ouran Festival. Countless matters had changed the club beyond recognition in many of the members' eyes. What hadn't changed, however, was their king's thickness.

"Whether or not Tamaki comes to terms with how he really feels about Haruhi is something we will have to wait for. Until then, she is fair game to all of us, right, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, in a better mood due to the experienced calming exercises his brother practiced upon him.

"That's true." Kaoru smirked, "No one has staked a claim on her after all."

"Hikaru, Kaoru." Kyouya pushed the screen down and the notebook clicked, the silence of the hard drive marking the end of his handling of his company affairs.

"What is it?"

The junior rose and raised a hand; pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his finger before sliding it home in his pocket. "I have a game for you two."

The twins exchanged some-what perplexed glances but when they analyzed the deviant tone in the voice of their Shadow King, their lips curved into their mirrored smirks.

"How do we play?"

* * *

With the Ouran Festival over with, things seem to have returned to normal in the ways of the Host Club. Haruhi could tell because their customers were back and no one came to her or the others asking if the club was truly going to be disbanded. Tamaki's announcement to them while under the influence of his Grandmother's plan including Éclair seemed to have been kept under wraps. But she was not disappointed in the fact that the club did not disperse as if it never were. Fujioka, Haruhi was actually glad to still have Haninozuka, Mitsukuni bounding up to her to grasp her arm and swing her around in one of his energetic circles. She also didn't mind seeing Hikaru caressing Kaoru's face in front of some ecstatic customers either…Takashi, Morinozuka would then pry Hunny-sempai away and she would be allowed to move on with her own customers. The loyalty these girls had for their club some-what astounded her sometimes, she became a little more thoughtful with their affections towards each host; carefully calculating just how much one girl may love the host more than another.

It was a strange way for her to spend her time in between charges, but she liked it a little. It was better than setting out to purchase instant coffee due to unnecessary pampering from the Hitachiin twins. But Haruhi also noticed that Ootori, Kyouya hadn't really received any customers as of late. He would politely turn them down for a later date and then work on scanning the funds for the club or work on his laptop a little more than he had to. She even noticed that he stayed after club activities once or twice…but other than that, everything else seemed normal.

Well, there was that one little exception with the fact that the Ouran Host Club was _never_ normal.

Sitting down at her table, Haruhi sighed. A few months ago she would have left the club in a heartbeat without a care in the world since her debt had been paid now. But it wasn't earlier, it was now and Fujioka found herself in a tight spot. She stayed with them, she loved them, but the moment she told her father, he made her wonder _which one_ of them.

Loving an Ouran student was ludicrous in her mind. Besides, love was a complicated emotion and she was beyond confident she would stay away from it while she studied in this prestigious school of rich snobs in uniform. Well, she couldn't really think of them that way anymore. Said snobs had become quite dear to her now, in spite of her better judgment.

"Haruhi."

She jumped at the sound of Kyouya's voice so suddenly.

Poor girl had been spacing out a bit too much.

"Kyouya-sempai?"

"You have one more customer scheduled today." He pointed out, scribbling something down in the handy-dandy notebook that replaced the electronical one whenever he needed to wonder around the music room to the other hosts.

"Ah—only one?" she tilted her head a bit; "I can go home afterwards, right?"

"Hm?" he glanced up but she could only see the glare in his glasses.

"Well, I was called up to the super-intendant's office this morning…" she explained, and wondered why she hadn't been thinking about that conversation earlier as opposed to the actions of the host club. Since when did she believe she had such free-time?

"MAH?!"

Haruhi braced herself.

It wasn't long before Suoh, Tamaki was present and accounted for, grasping her shoulders and staring at her with burning eyes that asked a million questions. Only a few seemed to come out of the king though.

"Haruhi, what happened? What did my father say to you?! Tell, Daddy what he said!"

Sighing, Haruhi reminded him bluntly that he was not her father, she had lost track of times she had to remind him this, but he still persisted.

She couldn't believe she expected him to stop after the festival.

Stupid idea.

"It wasn't anything serious." She said firmly, narrowing her eyes at the over-reacting junior, "the super intendant wanted to see me because I am allowed to attend Ouran as long as I keep at the top of my class. Due to some previous things I had to deal with I couldn't keep up with my studies and another student pulled ahead of my grades. He showed some concern and reminded me of my conditions for my loans but that was all. If I can go home early then I can get back to my studying sooner."

"Well then, we should speed things along with your next charge, I suppose." Kyouya said, closing the binder and resting it upon the table.

Haruhi and Tamaki stared as the spectacled teen drew out the chair and sat down in it, folding his arms over the table and peering over at Haruhi expectantly.

"Um, Kyouya-sempai?"

"Kyouya—"

"Tamaki, you have guests of your own. I assure you I will not keep her long." Kyouya said; fixing Tamaki with a rather emotionless smile but his eyes held a powerful dismissive glare that made the host king release Haruhi and slowly return to his table in a dazed stupor.

It was obvious Tamaki had no idea of what Kyouya was thinking.

Frankly, Haruhi had no idea either.

"Um, should I get you some tea or coffee?" she asked, ready to retrieve refreshments in order to begin the hosting ritual and stifle the confusion.

"No." Kyouya said shortly.

Haruhi rest her hands in her lap.

"There's no doubt you are wondering why I designated myself your customer today, Haruhi." He stated, adjusting his glasses.

"This doesn't seem like something you would do, so yes, I'm at a loss." She confirmed, feeling some-what nervous.

Incapable of fidgeting, as Tamaki may have done in such a situation, Kyouya held no secret nerves like others would. He already planned out everything over and over again and confirmed that there would be no side-effects to his decision, at least, none that would affect him.

"I am designating you as my host for the rest of this week."

"Eh?!" Haruhi's eues practically bugged out.

Kyouya chuckled.

"Ah—why would you designate me? D-Don't you already have customers of your own? Can a host even host another one?" she pressed her hands on the table, "Kyouya-sempai…you're serious aren't you?"

The third son gave one small nod.

"Um, alright. If that's what you have arranged then—I guess I'll have to do it." She said hesitantly.

"Excellent." He smirked, "But there are a few conditions I will have you fulfil while hosting myself. It will not damage your reputation and I know it will not bother you; considering your lack of gender awareness you are so bent on."

Haruhi shrugged, but didn't understand why that mattered.

"You already know that the host club profits off of their customers, but while you are hosting me, I will be paying for your serviceds."

"—and then I'll be in debt to you afterwards, correct?" she asked flatly. The initial shock wore off with the thought of more debts she would owe to members of the club.

Kyouya shook his head slowly, raising a hand and tilting his head to the side a bit, resting his temple against the knuckles. "Some of the funds will go to the club, but a quarter of your income for this week will be a payment to you for fulfilling a few requests for me."

The revelation of no debt brightened the idea a little, but there was still the fact that she would be hosting another host for no real reason.

"Do you agree to my terms?"

"Ah—yes." She nodded once, "But—"

Kyouya was already rising from his chair; picking up the notebook as he pushed the seat back in.

"Kyouya-sempai," he paused. "Why designate me?" she asked.

The corner of the junior's lips curved a bit as he adjusted his glasses one last time.

"Merits."


	2. Ripping at the Seams

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Ripping at the Seams**

* * *

"What exactly are you doing, Kyouya?"

A moment or two passed since the palms struck the low table before him, Tamaki staring over the white surface with obvious anger etched into his normally obliviated expression. It was enough to make the teen settled on the couch to want to have a good laugh upon the sight. However, laughing would have revealed too much, even to someone like Tamaki. Also, it was a rather useless expression of emotion and Kyouya could easily dismiss the thought; settling on his plans neatly jotted down in the reliable notebook.

The blond glaring at him may have been intimidating to some but to the youngest son of the Ootori family sitting on a couch; it was hardly worth the effort to distort the pretty-boy face for all the good he received from it.

"Kyouya!" The outburst flavored with a whine and annoyance was a familiar one, the same tone he had grown used to anytime Fujioka, Haruhi was concerned between them or the other members of the club.

With a nonchalant sigh, he nudged the nose of his glasses with the back of his pen.

"Calm yourself, Tamaki." He said, sounding slightly bored by the poor display of anger, "If your concern is for Haruhi then you do not need to deposit your worries on me. It is not for you to interfere with a host and their customers, even if you are the president of the club."

_Not that it has stopped you before…_

Tamaki's anger faded a bit and he looked at his friend with a serious fixture.

"You don't seem satisfied." Ootori commented.

"Kyouya, what exactly are you planning to do with Haruhi?"

Kyouya's pen stilled.

"Tamaki," he removed his glasses and folded them together before depositing them upon the table with a slight toss. "I am well aware of the rules of being a host, having written some of them myself in its foundation. I also know the limitations of a customer's actions with their host. That should be enough to satisfy your deeper concerns."

"I don't expect you to be like our guests, Kyouya." Tamaki said, swallowing, "But the look you have is no different from the one I saw the first day I came over to your manor."

The dark-haired junior chuckled, "Indeed, but it was you, yourself, who declared I had a "bad guy's face." And you also saw that I had revealed my true nature. My plans with Haruhi will remain a secret from you; this is all part of the game I have begun."

He leaned forward and stood up, sliding his hands into his pockets before looking up at his friend with an expression consumed in complete seriousness.

"And it is a game that I will not permit you to win."

* * *

Haruhi didn't know how long she had been standing by the couch where she would have to host Kyouya before she felt the gentle tug on her sleeve and peered down at Hunny just as he met her gaze.

"Haru-chan." Hunny sniffed and her eyebrows rose when she realized that he had been crying. The golden-brown eyes glazed with tears and his cheeks flushed from the obvious bawling he had done before.

"What is it?" the glimmer of tenderness caught her off guard and she shivered before kneeling down, touching the senior's arm, "Hunny-sempai?"

"U-Usa-chan." He whined, holding up the bunny, "Usa-chan, someone tore Usa-chan's ear."

Taking the rabbit plush from the senior, she observed the severed threads, only a few stitches holding the ear in place proved that he had either worn out the thread or someone had tried to take it from him.

The thought of someone trying to take the bunny from Hunny made her wonder who was in the hospital now because of that attempt.

"Let me grab my sewing kit and I can fix it." She said, trying to be comforting, "I think it's still in my bag."

She retrieved her school bag and after some digging she removed the small sewing kit she had held onto just in case she needed it. Not that she ever did, the Hitachiin brothers always had sewing covered. But mending a stuffed animal didn't seem like their department so a little needle and thread at the bottom of her bag wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I'm not very good with sewing, but it's better than leaving Usa-chan torn, right?"

Hunny nodded, already a little relieved now that his stuffed animal was going to be repaired soon. The treasured gift from his grandmother was too good to wait until he saw her next. Besides, Haruhi had to reveal some femininity once in a while; he might as well help her reveal it by having her do a few stitches while helping save his bunny.

Killing two birds with one stone.

As Haruhi threaded the needle, she tried to talk with the small upperclassmen a bit while she started. "Where is Mori-sempai?"

"Takashi is meeting with his kendo instructor about a competition he wants him to take part in. But he'll run over when he's done." He grinned, looking a lot better now. "I think he'll turn it down again."

"Why would he do that?" she paused.

"Takashi doesn't want me to be lonely if he goes away. I want him to sometimes, but Takashi is happier when he is with me." Hunny grinned; proud of the fact he had a practical servant in his cousin.

The commoner sighed, knowing she shouldn't have been surprised and continued to stitch the ear back on before securing the thread and snipping off the excess. She could see a few of the stitches out of line and the little knot she made in the crease where the ear met the head was slightly evident but when she handed it to Hunny, he was excited and already bouncing off with a loud "Thank you" that left her to put away the sewing kit before anyone could ask questions.

"So, you still carry that kit with you?"

"Yes, it comes I handy every now and then." She said, stowing the little bag away in her school sack before tucking it beneath the couch and standing up to receive Kyouya.

She didn't need to look around to tell that the majority of their customers were staring at them as she faced Kyouya and asked him to have a seat. He accepted it silently, sinking down upon the cushions and resting an elbow upon the armrest.

"It begins now." He said, closing his eyes.

"What begins?"

At that moment, Haruhi was overtaken by the Hitachiin brothers. By this point their sudden appearance and grasping of her arms should have been routine by now but they had caught her completely off guard due to the fact she had been settling into her hosting routine for Kyouya to make sure she did not make it awkward for him and herself as well.

The twins carried her off to the familiar curtains and she inwardly groaned at the memory of her first time being dragged back there by the same culprits and then putting on the boys' uniform for the first time. This occasion was definitely different since they shoved a bag into her hands and immediately left her alone in front of the mirror.

"Ah—wait a moment!" she called after them, tearing the curtain back open to see them standing outside. "What are you doing?"

"Kyouya's request, number one!" they grinned in sync. "Wear what's in the bag, no questions asked!"

"That's all?"

"Yes."

Glancing at the two suspiciously, she disappeared behind the curtain again, removing the familiar girls' uniform from the bag and seeing a wig lying on the bottom.

So for the next week he wanted her to dress like a girl, huh? Well, that wasn't too hard. Besides, he was paying her for it so there shouldn't have been much harm in wearing the natural uniform among the club. The only thing that bothered her in the back of her mind when she pulled it on was that she wasn't sure what the female customers would think. They haven't expressed much discomfort in her dressing like a girl in the past so there were probably going to be no problems among them.

One more though struck her as she tied the dark ribbon to fasten the collar.

What would Tamaki say about all of this?

The shock on his face yesterday should have made it clear he was against it, however, the teen didn't put up much of a fight once Kyouya gave him a death glare that rivaled those he gave when he was in for early morning wake-up calls. Surely Tamaki talked with him about it at some point. The president giving his consent for one of his hosts to take off a week to be hosted by another. It wasn't like Kyouya had many charges before, anyway. He was an excellent actor for those who did designate him, but Kyouya did hold some sort of stand-offish air to him that probably repelled girls.

The kinds of girls she saw around Kyouya appeared somewhat dreary with a kind of cold elegance to them that the warmth of Tamaki's hosting didn't suit.

It was a little troubling to think of their reaction to seeing Haruhi looking like her true gender with their routine host. They would think she was stealing him away or something, perhaps.

"Since when have I cared how others think of what gender I look like?" she wondered softly to herself, tugging on the wig and combing her bangs out of her eyes with her fingers before emerging from the curtain in all her feminine glory.

To add to her annoyance with the already uncomfortable tights, the twins applauded her as she passed in between them, excusing herself.

"Wait-one-minute." They chimed together, both resting a hand on her shoulder, "One-more-thing."

* * *

Pushing down the edge of his sleeve, Kyouya checked the watch bound to his wrist rather passively, not necessarily pressed for time, but definitely checking the watch face just to see how much time it took for a girl to be overpowered by two males at once. Apparently it would only take a good average of fifteen to twenty minutes if he recalled the timing of the twins' previous jobs on Fujioka correctly. Then again, with Haruhi's influence over them, there may be some resistance to stand off the initial job he had assigned them both with her. 

Lowering his wrist, he noticed the intent stare coming from a spying Tamaki staring over the back of his sofa. It was another comedic look the half-European junior managed to pull off without struggle as opposed to himself, who couldn't look silly even if he tried.

The King twitched when he realized he had been caught in the act and ducked down behind the plush red back, still watching as the Shadow King smiled in his direction.

A truly wicked smile…

"I'm sorry to make you wait, Kyouya-senpai." Haruhi apologized in an exasperated tone, proving she was not very endorseful of whatever state the Hitachiin brothers put her in. "Please excuse me."

She smoothed out the skirts of the girls' uniform as she sat down beside him but with generous distance in between the two as she turned a bit to be angled towards her charge. He could tell she was uncomfortable with the make-up the brothers had put on her but since it was not that noticeable with the exception of the slight shine to her lips, Haruhi would have to deal with it. This was one of his requirements he was paying her for and it was also necessary for the predicted result.

The sudden cry from a few meters over was enough to bring a smirk to Ootori's lips and it was not long before he felt the rush of air buffeting Haruhi and himself from Suoh's rush to reach their couch and interfere with Haruhi's hosting duties to him.

"Haruhi, what are you wearing? What are—who told you to--? C-Cute, cute, SUPER CUTE! Kyouya—you—"

"Tamaki-senpai."

Both of the teenagers looked at Haruhi, noting the firmness in her voice when she spoke with unyielding authority that was definitely a shock to her poser father.

The commoner had risen to her feet and had her arms folded with a some-what intimidating expression that narrowed her usually large dark eyes to the point of having a furtive gleam in them.

"H-Haruhi?"

"Kyouya-senpai is my customer and I am obligated to fulfill any needs that are within reason. That is what a host is to do, is it not?"

"B-But—"

"You have customers of your own that you are to give your attention to, leave me to my own. It doesn't matter to me what I wear to continue my membership, I can tolerate the wardrobe I have to run through in order to fulfill my job."

Kyouya was a bit impressed that she had become so loyal to becoming a host. Sure, she was allowed to leave earlier because of his filling of her schedule to insert himself in the customers' chair, but he had a feeling that Haruhi accepted the host club as a part of herself now. It was a nice change from tolerating everything just because she had a debt to pay.

"Well said, Haruhi." Kyouya complimented airily, "Tamaki, your princess is waiting for your return. It would be dishonorable to leave her in order to dwell on the state of dress one of your hosts have taken up."

Tamaki opened his mouth in protest, eyes large and gleaming with many thoughts of how to argue with them over the fact Haruhi was in the girls' uniform in front of all their customers, but the firm expression he was confronted with silenced him. Haruhi pointed back to his area and he wondered back with the expression of a beaten dog.

When Haruhi sat back down, Kyouya noticed the twinge of remorse in her face before she shook it away and face him again. "Can I offer you something to drink, senpai?"

"Only coffee." He said, not looking at her as he leaned upon the armrest again.

Ootori only watched her hands as she poured a cup of the ever-so-popular instant coffee Tamaki insisted they continued to by. He wasn't very fond of the replacement beverage himself. Instant coffee held too much of a watery taste to it with no rich flavor or a particularly appetizing smell.

"Do you take it black?" she asked, resorting to her practiced service.

Nodding, he followed the cup and saucer as it was set before him. The Shadow King reached over and drew the cup from the little plate in which it rested; staring down into the dark liquid he had to drink in order to keep the on looking customers of other hosts satisfied.

Swirling the liquid about a bit and lifting his gaze to Fujioka, Kyouya saw that she was being very patient with him and refrained from asking questions about why he designated her and such. Even the giddy wallflowers spread about the music room waiting their turns with the others seemed to manage a respectful silence for the pair. Hunny's childish laughter was the only reminder that any other activity was occurring in the room. A few wisps of conversation from Tamaki's table assured Ootori that they would finally be left in peace.

Pity, he expected Suoh to watch them a lot longer than he had.

The junior took a small drink of the concoction and rest it back in the little circle of the saucer where they fit like puzzle pieces.

"Is it alright?"

"No different than it usually tastes, but it's endurable."

"Ah, I see. Instant coffee has never been one of Kyouya-senpai's tastes after all." She smiled.

"You kept track of that?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I've only noticed that you do not drink it when you are with your customers. They will drain them in time but yours is always still full and cold when I clear up some of the tables." She rest her hands on her lap but didn't appear very uniform with the posture she took. "I only remember it's yours because the table arrangements are always for the same few hosts. You need to switch them around every once in a while."

"Is that so?" he wouldn't need his notebook to note that, but he did have a slight itch to reach for it.

Haruhi sighed.

"Hm?"

She noticed what must have been a slightly confused gaze on his part and waved a hand dismisivly. "Ah—nothing's wrong. I'm just relieved, that's all."

"Relieved?"

"Yes." Fujioka nodded, surprisingly cheerful, "I was concerned we wouldn't be able to hold much of a conversation since it is awkward you would want to be hosted by someone. It doesn't suit you to want to spend any more time around me than necessary. There are no merits in associating with me, right?"

Merits...

"No," he smirked as he altered the frames of his glasses briefly. "I gain nothing by spending time with you, Haruhi. But like you will abide by the antics of the host club for your own reasons, I will bear the lack of profit from associating with yourself."

"I think you're lying." She blank up at him. "Kyouya-senpai, you claim yourself an egoist but I still have my doubts that you're what you claim to be."

This struck a nerve and Kyouya turned his face away, staring off at an irrelevant vase of roses. "Don't talk about what I am and what I'm not."

The surprise in her following question made his eyes narrow on the petals, trying not to think of watching that very vase shatter and watch the floral drop limply to the floor. A death glare delivered to that pottery was enough to satisfy him and keep him from becoming angry, though bordering it seemed dangerous enough.

He was simply, some-what pissed at the moment.

"Why?"

"It's not very becoming of a host to pry too deeply into their customers personality. You are not with one another long enough for it to matter either way." He said coldly.

"Kyouya-senpai…you're disturbed by something and you just don't want to admit it to yourself, aren't you?"

Damn that commoner's intuition.

"What I benefit from being hosted by you, Haruhi, is something that only I will know what I gain."

Kyouya rose from the couch and ignored the struggled sounds from Fujioka as she rose with him to try and piece together something to make him sit once more. He could feel all of the eyes on him as he moved around the coffee table and wondered away from his hostess. "I am finished for the afternoon. Do as you will."

* * *

_A/N:_

_Well, there's the second chapter. I hope it was tolerable, considering I seemed to use that word a lot in this piece. XD Anyway, I hope more reviews come in and I hope you enjoy the story!_


	3. Questioned Acceptance

_**

* * *

**_

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Questioned Acceptance**_

* * *

"_You're disturbed by something and you just don't want to admit it to yourself, aren't you?"_

The mattress barely made a sound as he twisted over and lay on his side, tucking an arm beneath his head and staring directly at the distant wall where he could see the silvery illumination of the moon cast over his walls. With his back to the wall of windows that allowed the translucent illumination into his room, Kyouya didn't need to look to know the current stage of the moon. The degree of light confirmed that it was only a quarter full but it was still strong enough to dimly alight his bedroom.

But the moonlight wasn't what kept him awake.

Over and over Ootori could hear Haruhi's insight repeat in his mind, seizing up all of the gears within his brain to allow the inquiry to echo off the deepest parts of his thoughts. The poor rich teenager couldn't even think about the original plan that made her his host that afternoon to begin with.

Haruhi's blunt, cleverness haunted him and he hated it.

"I have already been seen through once." He muttered bitterly, "She has no right to repeat it."

No matter how many times Kyouya thought it over, however often he re-played his actions and even twisted them so that he behaved more subtly, he had to admit that those words hit home on the roots to which his game was grounded by.

Kyouya cared for the commoner, and he had no idea how to get rid of it.

Upon the take-over of his father's corporation, Kyouya knew he had completed the game he had been playing with his father since birth and threw the prize right back into the man's face. It was obvious that Tamaki's accepting Haruhi into the club and making all of its members collaborate with her and entwine with her world was the cause of the small affection. Ootori knew he was bewitched by the commoner but at the same time, Tamaki and the others were pulled under at the same time, each cluster of emotions purer than his by far.

The night of the final day of the Ouran festival was supposed to be the night he allowed Tamaki to have his commoner all to himself; he wouldn't interfere with whatever could have formed between them. However, at the same time he knew Suoh deserved punishment for what he had dragged all of them into due to his stupidity. He had to inflict something on the blond, but what?

Watching him and Fujioka provided the answer. Although there were no advancements in their relationship, Kyouya knew it was only a matter of time before one of them would confirm that they loved the other. Hikaru was no longer a concern to him, he was still lost in the world created by his brother and himself, it would take an eternity to break the elder twin from such a bond. Takashi and Hunny were out of the question since neither of them revealed much concern for anyone other than themselves and their family ties. Tamaki was the only one and he was the one who needed a good strike to the face.

Suoh, Tamaki still had a debt to pay to the Host Club, Kyouya most of all, for taking his singular tie to a selfless piece of his heart.

For giving up Haruhi, when his father had promised him an eminent betrothal to the precious commoner.

* * *

"I don't need make-up!" Haruhi exclaimed, holding up her hands as she backed up against the mirror, holding up her hands to fend off the advancing brothers.

The devious grins on their faces made them all the more disturbing and she wanted even more to keep them away.

"Ah!" they whined together, "Haruhi, you're boring today."

"Sorry for being boring." She muttered, slumping a bit.

"Hikaru, Kaoru. Your services are no longer required. There are customers waiting for you back in the music room." Kyouya said, approaching them.

"Man, Kyouya-senpai. You know how to rob us of our fun more than Haruhi does." Hikaru muttered, sulkingly, Kaoru mirroring the expression.

It was a disappointment that they couldn't play with their toy, she was sure. Unfortunately, Haruhi was considerably bothered by the fact she now called herself their toy at this point. But she ignored it once the brothers had disappeared out of the room, Kyouya left observing the necktie looped over the back of an unused chair.

"Um, Kyouya-senpai—"

"You managed to accomplish some studying yesterday, correct?" he interrupted, his glasses flashing as he looked up from the tie and right at her.

"A little." She confirmed, "My dad came home early and forcefully took me clothes shopping."

He seemed to be avoiding her attempt to apologize for what she had said yesterday, even though she didn't know exactly what it was that bothered him so much that afternoon. Today he seemed to have reverted back to normal, Tamaki having talked to him until the blond wondered away looking a little more cheerful than he had since yesterday.

"Haruhi, I told Tamaki you did not have to continue to wear the girls' uniform. However, since you claim to not be aware of genders, I do not see much of a reason for you to care what you wear." He approached her and plucked at one of the pale yellow sleeves of the girls' uniform she had pulled on moments ago. "_I_ would prefer it if you wore it. And I still think you need to re-think your "gender doesn't matter" ideals before you try to allow things to continue as they are."

That was an unexpected statement. Haruhi hadn't heard anything about her lack of concern for genders from Kyouya since they were on the school trip and he had her alone in his room with him. Kyouya hadn't really spoken of many personal things with her, ever. The closest she had to knowing anything of his life was the fact that he had a strict father and accomplished older brothers, as opposed to her full knowledge of Tamaki's upbringing with his mother and the family being against his father's affair and divorce.

"Senpai, I think we'll leave personal matters out of our discussions while I host you. I am already complying with your conditions and requests, so respect one of my own."

"I do not plan to deal into your life, Haruhi. I already know everything about it." He smirked.

* * *

"Hey, Takashi."

A muted noise from the Wild host confirmed to Hunny that he had gained his attention without fail again.

"You know, I think that Kyou-chan loves Haru-chan."

"Yeah."

"I wasn't sure for a while, but it looks like he's figured it out now. Why else would he want to have Haru-chan look so cute for him?" The honey blond brought his bunny closer to his chest in the crook of his arm, touching his lips with the tip of his finger and shutting his eyes in thought. Thought too careful for the constantly bright-eyed senior sitting before his stone-faced cousin. "Kyou-chan has a plan. But he won't tell us what it is. Do you know, Takashi?"

"No." Takashi shook his head once, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his thighs as he laced his fingers together to suspend between his bent knees.

"It's not fair," Hunny pouted. "I wanna know what Kyou-chan is up to."

With a slight smile, Takashi reached over and rest his large hand upon the top of his smaller cousin's head in an affectionate gesture. He knew that Hunny was concerned about what their most cunning member was up to, in a way the silent host was curious as well, but it only stemmed from the fact that his cousin held so much interest in what could have been occurring within their club.

Kyouya's time as a customer had four more days, Sunday being his last one when he would return to the club as a host once more. But whether or not he would place any changes into effect was entirely up to the smoothness of the Shadow King's planning.

* * *

Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, Tamaki seemed pleased with himself when he sat with the girls at his sofas, surrounded by admiration and affections that bordered some degree of love for him but he could never really return.

For their sake, he reasons with himself, there is not enough of my heart to be passed around my princesses!

"Tamaki-sama," one of the girls squeezed their hands together in their laps, "I've brought you some cookies that I've made. I've worked so hard on them, would you be able to eat them?"

The king reached over and tilted up her chin, "I would gladly partake of your baking if you will of it, princess."

The girls burst into a frenzy around him.

"Ah, Haruhi-kun, so cute!"

Suoh immediately looked up from his customers, eyes widening when he saw that she was in the girls' uniform again and sitting across from Kyouya at one of their small, rounded tables with only a vase of roses in between them. The small accompaniment of china and a pot were hardly reassuring to "Daddy" as he watched his "Daughter" spend more time with her "Mother" than himself. It was a rather precious sight to behold, watching him talk to her with the usual smile he held for the duties of the host club. It helped aid Suoh that the two were not becoming so connected that Kyouya would have emotion etched into his features.

"Tamaki-sama, Haruhi is so adorable! He looks like a girl, it's so cute!" his baker customer squealed, accompanied by agreeing sopranos that rose high enough to make Tamaki snap out of watching the two and focus on them again.

"It is a shame he will not wear the uniform more often, it suits him." He sighed, with a dramatic tinge in his voice that was followed by hand motions that caught his charges once more.

When he was certain they had stars in their eyes embraced by kings' crowns, he managed to leave the thought of Haruhi and Kyouya out of his mind and focus on his princesses. They were everything to him as long as he was around, but his precious daughter would never be far from his thoughts.

However, there was that one little tid-bit of information that he had to consider. His conversation with Ootori at his house was enough to say that he had something up his sleeve that neither he nor his other subjects would know about. Kyouya was plotting something but he couldn't cipher out what it was, no matter how often he thought about it. The third son was much more cunning than himself, even if he was a brilliant student on occasion as opposed to the constant shining of Ootori. But Suoh knew the Shadow King, he didn't know of his hold on his subjects, but he knew that Kyouya was a smart teenager and he could pull off anything to get what he wanted. Even friends could posses a little evil within their veins, Ootori, Kyouya never being an exception of that fact.

Whatever it was that could have been plotted for or against him, Tamaki couldn't dwell on it now, for it was only a little pin-prick that continually jabbed at the back of his mind while the rest of his head was swimming with charm and obsession over the women around him. He admired the beautiful and brought out the loveliness in the more unfortunate in the face, for it was the way he was, unlike his Vice President. A second in command who only complimented hollowly and gave no warmth to his guests once they were out of their chairs and disappearing from the third music room. No, Tamaki was the better host and he believed he knew it.

Narcissism is a terrible burden to bear.

* * *

"Tamaki-senpai seems to be handling things better than he did yesterday." Haruhi observed when she glanced in the king's direction to make sure he was behaving. "That's interesting."

"I assured Tamaki that you would make the decision of how to dress on your own. That seemed to settle his conscience for the moment." Kyouya commented, taking a careful drink of the commoner coffee before lowering the china slowly and resting it back in its saucer. "The reason is also because you are dressed like a girl, and that is something he's been wanting since he discovered your secret."

"Is that so?" She wondered and blank her eyes accompanied with a slightly baffled appearance.

"Yes. Each time you were to be exposed, however, Tamaki tried to cover it up due to the fact he did not want to share your gender with others. Even if they already _knew_ you were a woman."

"So, he was being jealous of other people?"

"That is how I see it," He sighed, shrugging his shoulders once before folding his arms over the very edge of the table. "Haruhi, I will warn you right now. Tamaki has planned the next theme for the club to dress in. Hikaru and Kaoru will handle the fabric details, but we are to be measured and fitted tomorrow afternoon, meaning they will need to find a seamstress who can keep a secret, like I had to find a doctor on the day of the medical examinations."

"So, I will be in debt again, won't I?" Haruhi asked, her face falling.

"You will be required to submit a certain number of hours to thank them for their efforts." The absolute zero smile made Haruhi shiver and she found her fingers twisting one of the buttons of her dress cuffs nervously. Fidgeting was not a common thing with Haruhi, but Ootori was beginning to make her nervous with all the debts he managed to find and settle upon her head when he knew perfectly well she couldn't afford them.

"Why are you warning me?"

Fujioka pressed her hands on the table top and stared at Kyouya, waiting for some sign of emotion or thought flicker in his face. Anything to remind her that this was a human being sitting across from her and not a devil in disguise. The Shadow King was a devil, always, but she didn't expect him to always be as expressionless as he was now. He was just too cool for everything, even her and her hosting. It felt like he should have been the host and she the one to designate him just so the terms didn't feel so awkward the way they were now.

Kyouya knew everything there was to know about the club, Haruhi only knew what she had encountered so far.

What could she possibly have to offer Ootori, Kyouya that a rich girl who actually gave a damn about their feminism couldn't? There were no merits in being served by her, were there?

Stiffening a bit in her chair, her eyes widened a bit upon the twinkle of realization. But before she could say anything, Kyouya finally answered her. "Because I will only be your customer for three more days, in all accuracy…tomorrow you will be hosting Hikaru and Kaoru."

"Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun, why?"

Kyouya looked at his watch and a slow smile curved the corner of his mouth and into his malevolent smirk that befitted a stereotypical villain.

"It is a necessity in the game."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Alright, now, as interesting as Kyouya makes everything sound, the next chapter is not going to be a very thrilling one. I've started it and I can say right now that the beloved Hitachiin brothers will not sound like themselves. I just wanted to try and alter the plot so that Kyouya wouldn't be hogging all of the chapters. He's coming back soon though and Haruhi has three more days to host him before the end of the week and we discover the final tactics of the Shadow King's game. Or will we?**


	4. The Hitachiin Brothers

* * *

**_Chapter Four_**

**_The Hitachiin Brothers_**

* * *

It was rather strange standing in the little curtained off area, not that she hadn't done it before, but this time was a little different. This time she was accompanied by a young woman taking her measurements.

Extending her arms, Haruhi watched her move to measure out the span but her thoughts were wondering to the fact that Kyouya had placed her as the host of the twins today rather than himself as he had originally told her he would be that week. However, she couldn't see how she was hosting them when they were fitting the other members in the other room with eagerness that she knew belonged to their appreciation for clothing. Something they were raised to appreciate, no doubt.

"Haruhi-san." The seamstress rolled up her measuring tape, "You may go. I'll note your measurements and have your dress prepared by tomorrow."

"T-That fast, huh?" the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Yes. The Hitachiin family demands a high-quality piece to be delivered to them as soon as possible." She smiled; unbothered by the fact she had a deadline that would end the next morning.

Haruhi silently cursed the brothers for overworking people in her mind before she pulled her school blazer back on and straightened herself before emerging from the curtains to join the others again, perhaps she could get the hosting over with and then get home to fit in more studying before any more of Kyouya's strange antics would take place again. He managed to come up with enough to keep her busy; there was no doubt of it.

"Haruhi." The twins appeared on either side of her, "Let's play at your apartment again."

"No." Haruhi muttered.

"Why not?"

Fujioka folded her arms, averting her eyes to observe Mori and Hunny as they disappeared out of the doors, both of them holding onto either of Tamaki's arms as he stared back at her. The miserable expression on his face was proof he was pitching a fit again, she just didn't know why. Simply seeing Suoh in his misery brought back the image of her father coming into the apartment the night before with his make-up slightly smudged and unable to hide the fact that he was worn out.

"I want to let my dad rest some today. He can't relax if I bring you two over to my apartment." Haruhi said, keeping her tone even but there were traces of thoughtfulness for her father as he spoke.

Those slight revelations of affection for the man were enough to make the twins admire the tenderness and they over-romanticized their reactions with teary eyes while lacing their fingers together. "Haruhi, we didn't expect you could be so nice to your father."

"I'm not heartless!" she snapped, annoyed by their exaggerated tears.

The brothers looked at one another and smiled a bit, exchanging nods before turning to Haruhi and resting their hands on her shoulders. "Well then…" Hikaru began.

"…why not come by our place?" Kaoru finished, grinning.

* * *

"Ah—"

Haruhi slumped a bit, her eyes wide and head slightly tilted as she stared up at the manor before her made of white stone. There were a lot of cars, most of them expensive sports vehicles to foreign cars accompanied by limos; their drivers leaning against the doors or talking in small clusters to pass the time until their bosses would emerge from whatever could have been occurring inside of the mansion.

"Haruhi, you look impressed." Kaoru pointed out, touching his chin.

"W-well, it's a big house. I'm used to buildings this size belonging to the school or holding apartments." She pointed out, wondering why she suddenly felt humbled as the car that had dropped them off drove away to some unknown parking space.

"You'll get used to it." Hikaru aided passively as the twins escorted her towards the steps.

"Why are there so many cars?" she asked, narrowing her eyes a bit when the doors opened.

"Our mom's throwing a party for her respective clients and business associates. She's also invited a few presidents of clothes companies so she can get some interaction with competition." Kaoru explained, sticking his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants.

"We wanted to skip out on it and go to your place."

"But after a moment we realized that you're right," Kaoru smirked and Haruhi looked from one twin to the other quickly; realizing they were mirroring the same expression off of one another. "Your dad needs to relax a bit, right? So why not bring you to the party?"

"It will make it more entertaining." They stated deviously.

Haruhi immediately turned around and made to escape the way she came but two men in suits closed the doors at that same moment. The brothers chuckled and Haruhi panicked for a moment, a chill running up her spine as she craned her head around. "I really don't like parties—"

"There'll be a lot of food."

They could tell they hooked her on that one, seeing how she contemplated on it and her head slowly drooped in submission to the idea of attending the party. "Well, I guess I could stay a little while…"

There was a gleam in the Hitachiin brothers' eyes upon hearing that phrase.

Something made Haruhi feel like she was being stared at rather intently and immediately turned her head back around in time to see the familiar silhouettes of the maids that had sabotaged her on previous occasions due to the orders of the twins before. What was puzzling about it was when they had time to call them into the room and how in the world they could be so silent.

"Fujioka, Haruhi. Come with us, please." The maids said in a simultaneous manner that only the twins could rival as opposed to anyone else she knew.

Within seconds she was being hauled off upstairs in the same way that Hikaru and Kaoru always pulled her off, both of her arms probably bruising from the constant hands in the same spots each time. The speed and lack of staggering when it came to the stairs made her wonder if the workers were even human…

* * *

_I'm going to kill them_, Haruhi thought bitterly, _both of them. Dead. Tonight_!

Sighing to try and rid herself of the frustration she received from every attempt the hosts tried to bring out her neglected feminism, Haruhi looked at the reflection in the full length mirror as one of the twin maids straightened the hem of the dress she had been forced into.

The flower clip in her hair looked too big for her taste but she didn't pay much attention to the girl staring back at her. Once the hands were gone she wondered towards the doors and opened one of them wide to escape the room. However, when she stepped out into the hallway there was the regrettable fact that she had absolutely no idea which way was which and neither Hikaru, nor Kaoru were in sight. Perhaps asking one of the maids would have been in order…

No. If she went back to the maids they would only hold her down and try to make more adjustments to her. She was fine with her school uniform but they crammed her into a dress that resembled the length of the Ouran girls' uniforms with the exception of the long puffed sleeves and the high collar. This piece was pearly pink with slender straps of a darker hue, nothing fancy; meaning the party had to have been the type she wouldn't see ball gowns or tuxedos anywhere. That fact alone was comfort enough. Now all she had to do was find the brothers so she could get her duties done and then escape the high class manor that was supposed to be their home. She wanted her shoebox apartment with all her textbooks waiting in her bedroom.

However, expensive cuisine beckoned at the moment, she couldn't ignore _that_ call.

"Haruhi, over here." Kaoru called, standing at the top stair at the end of the hallway.

"Kaoru, huh, where is Hikaru?" she looked around as if expecting him to be hiding.

"Still changing. I snuck out ahead of him so I could see you first." He smiled.

Haruhi didn't return the smile.

"They did a good job." He commented, stepping up beside her and twisting around so that he pressed his fingertips into the small of her back, "This way, I'll show you where everyone is."

The touch wasn't necessary but Haruhi wasn't bothered by it, allowing him to lead her down the stairs and revealing that the shoes she had on were already starting to discomfort her feet as she walked. There would be no complaints, though.

At least they were flats.

"How long do these events usually last?"

"Hmm, varies with each party. It lasts hours most of the time so you'll probably get home late."

Kaoru observed the side of her face a moment, looking at the flower clip and silently rating the job the maids had done, all the while his fingers relaxed and eventually his whole hand could feel the warmth of her back as he guided her through the memorized maze of his and his brothers' home until they reached a pair of high glass doors that led out into what Haruhi knew as a backyard but it came complete with a veranda and long tables full of foods, some of which she couldn't recognize.

"I'm going to get Hikaru." The younger twin whispered near her ear so that he wouldn't break the spell of fascination she had begun to be bewitched by.

Blinking a few times, she turned a bit to look up at Kaoru, unable to keep a smile from subtly curving her lips, "You two really can't live without one another, can you?"

"Not really." He admitted with an uncharacteristically diffident smile.

"But you handle being on your own better, Kaoru." She complimented, "You can keep up with your composure unlike Hikaru can."

The Hitachiin's smile quirked a bit as he silently apologized to Hikaru for her comment on him, but at the same time he knew it was true. She had informed Hikaru of his inability to keep a cool head without him around, he knew of that. This made him feel better about their friendship with the commoner, for with his older brother still clinging to him, Kaoru wasn't in danger of becoming lonely.

* * *

Why she hadn't been able to bask in good food more often whenever she was among the students of Ouran, Haruhi had no idea. But she knew that it was worth the wait as long as she avoided caviar and some of the sweets that claimed one of the tables. Sweets were alright once in a while but she wasn't particularly fond of them, they were a dish she could easily avoid on a day like this.

The task of being occupied with the tables kept Haruhi from worrying about stumbling into the rich men and women wondering around the grounds. She wanted them to keep in their conversations about their exceeding children or growth rates in businesses rather than trying to get a conversation out of herself. It was a little complicated to make up excuses for her presence at the party as opposed to everyone else, none of them in the same social class but that didn't really bother her.

As long as the brothers didn't drag her off to talk to clothing designers, she was perfectly content where she was.

Glancing around while pausing in between a few bites of an unnamed dish, Fujioka noticed Hikaru leaning against the railing of the veranda. His back was to her so she had some difficulty following his eyes until she caught sight of Kaoru standing not three feet from him and talking with a man who was appearing some-what uncomfortable with the conversation. She left the tables but not without a plate supporting goodies in her hands before she climbed the stairs and approached where Hikaru stood to offer some sort of conversation since he was unwillingly separated from his other half again.

"Hikaru, do you want some?" she asked, offering the plate.

The amber eyes focused on her and he appeared a bit uneasy as he reached over and removed a rather unremarkable grape from the items. The only difference from the fruit she bought from the supermarket and the ones on her plate was that the rich grapes were larger and a bit juicier. It was no major loss for Hikaru to take one of them, there was always more to grab later if she was still hungry.

"You look nice." He complimented in a mutter.

"Eh?"

"I said you look nice." He repeated, lowering his eyes.

A little confused, Haruhi just accepted the compliment and munched on another choice of edible substance from her plate, watching Kaoru continue to talk to the man. "I didn't expect any praise since I was forced into this outfit. Did you and Kaoru pick it out?"

He shook his head, "We leave it to the workers to pick out clothing for guests."

Haruhi thought it was a little sweet how Hikaru became insecure without his brother beside him. It reminded her of how he acted on their date when she was working for her father's friend Misuzu Sonoda in Karuizawa. The memory of the day surpassed that of the evening so she didn't really think about Hikaru holding her beneath the alter at the church during the storm. It wasn't her nature to think of those things.

"I wouldn't pick things like this for myself." She smiled, "It's a hassle to try and dress up daily. I wouldn't be able to live a rich life; even if I wanted to with the way everyone seems to base their time on their appearances."

"You don't think you could live like this?" Hikaru seemed a bit shocked by this news.

"No. There are a lot of things I would never get used to that rich people grow up with. I'm fine with the way things are at home…I only wish my father wouldn't spend his paychecks so quickly." The commoner heaved a sigh.

Biting his lip, the elder twin looked up at Kaoru. "I think you could. Live like this, I mean."

"Hm?"

"You might marry rich, then what would you do?"

"Hmm, I guess I would have to deal with it if I did, but I don't see why I would want to marry someone. I have things I want to accomplish first before I think about loving another person. Besides, rich people seem to base love on how the other person looks. If they're considered cute then they'll accept them. But affection should be based on what a person is like, not on how they look in a dress."

Her words made Hikaru feel a little sore in the pit of his heart, of course, he didn't understand why. Hearing that Haruhi believed people would only love others because of how they looked made him wonder if that was supposed to mean she didn't believe anyone would love her specifically for herself. That was definitely a wrong though to cross her mind since many people already felt something for her even though she has to pretend to be a boy to be in the Host Club.

"I don't know." he murmured, "The world is so complicated beyond us after all." Perking up, he suddenly grinned, "Well, can't really say we'll be marrying anyone. We enjoy playing with our toy too much."

* * *

A/N:

Well, I told you this chapter wouldn't be a very good one. I'm not very good at depicting the twins because of their complex personalities that seem to alter in every episode I've seen. They're just a little bit different every time I think...but that's just me. Anyway, please review!


	5. According to Plan

_**

* * *

**_

_**According to Plan**_

* * *

"I can safely assume you haven't told Tamaki of your time spent with Hikaru and Kaoru on Thursday, correct?" Kyouya asked; leaning against the armrest of the couch with his elbow propped upon the edge. He glanced over in the direction of the foolish blond as he worked his natural magic with a fresh batch of clients.

"No," Haruhi sighed, apparently exhausted. "Tamaki-senpai wouldn't let me get ready because of the interrogations he launched when I arrived though."

"I see, that would explain your fatigue."

"Kyouya-senpai."

The stern glare she set on him made his insides quiver in interest at what she could possibly have to lash out at him. Of course it would have been understandable that she would want to give a lecture of sorts, he was turning her life into a week-long hell because of his requests; all of which beckoned a rise out of Tamaki. The commoner was fatigued by his plot and yet she knew nothing about it, this was a certainty now, but if she avoided telling the King all of the details of her recent duties as a host, then he knew the connection was faltering.

"Yes?"

The innocence in his voice seemed to irk her even more.

"You knew that Hikaru and Kaoru would want to dress me up if I went with them to their house, didn't you?"

"Your accusation is only half accurate, Haruhi." He smirked, "Even though I knew that would be true no matter where you three were; I already figured out that you wouldn't want them at your apartment complex."

Haruhi's face blanked out a bit and Kyouya adjusted his glasses. He then continued, withdrawing his notebook from the coffee table and cracking it open. "Your father has been working longer ours at the okama bar than he has during our previous visit to your apartment and Ranka has informed me of your concern for his well-being on several occasions. So, I knew that Hikaru and Kaoru were immediately going to be turned down in their desire to go to your apartment. As for their dressing you up, they hardly let an opportunity to place you in their mothers or their own designs of clothing pass by without taking advantage of it. The only hand I had in it was informing their staff of your arrival and they had to prepare something simple."

"Well, at least it was simple."

"Extravagant would be too much for you and your low gender appreciation."

Fujioka narrowed her eyes at him. "You _are_ a demon."

"It is a known fact." He countered with a mock smile.

* * *

"Haruhi, why won't you tell me what you did yesterday? I wanna know!" Tamaki whined, sounding more like a child as opposed to a junior in high school.

A prestigious high school at that.

"Because it is my business what I did. I don't remember being obligated to report details of my every day life to you." Haruhi grumbled, pulling her blazer back on while Tamaki whimpered on the other side of the curtain.

"B-But—"

"Stop crying!" she snapped, pulling the curtain open.

He flinched away from the murderous glare and edged aside until he bumped against the edge of the music room piano. He rest his hands over the surface behind him as Haruhi wondered out of her changing area; straightening her tie even though she would only remove it some time after she returned home.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi."

Another abrupt attitude change, but still, the softened tone caught her attention.

"Eh?"

"I pry into your activities a lot, in your life too." He turned away from her and moved around the instrument until he sat upon the piano bench. "I don't know why I do it. Maybe it is because Kyouya, Hikaru, Kaoru…all of them seem to spend more time with you than I can. It's unfair and I don't like it."

"I spend equal time with the host club, Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi approached the grand piano and rest her hands on the glossy black surface, trying to sound less annoyed with him than she had been previously, "The only difference is that Kyouya-senpai has designated me as his host and so I entertain him. Once the week is over, nothing will be different."

The blond lifted his head, eyes glossy with tears and Haruhi immediately felt like she had made him a little too excited from her words. He looked hopeful for some reason. "Then we can go back to the way things were? Drinking instant coffee with our precious princesses and everyone playing together like we used to?"

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered, slumping, "Though I wish you wouldn't use so many themes in one week like you do. We should wear the uniforms more often like we did this week."

"But then there is no variety for our clients!"

"Why do they need variety? We are all the same, simply wearing costumes. That is the only difference."

Tamaki stood up, the commoner stepping away from the piano as he began a flourish of hand movements that were all too out of place, considering he was making motions towards the ceiling and touching his chest as an opera singer would. It was a bit unusual that he still made such gestures, even though there was nothing to be indicated in his long-winded speeches. However, this time Haruhi really didn't mind is as much as she let on. The endearment of his childish nature was well hidden within her though, just as it was within Kyouya. They both could hide what they really felt, but Haruhi was different due to the fact she usually didn't mind expressing herself. She was a blunt woman after all. However, the commoner felt that romance was irrelevant while she was in school, she had a dream to make come true and it would come first, that was why whatever crushes she could manifest for members of the host club or anywhere else in her life would remain secret and unpursued.

"Wearing a unique collection of clothing suited to a theme and the individual themselves is one of the many ways a man can establish a woman's love for him!" Tamaki said dramatically, "For if one were to wear one style and then return the next day without one, wouldn't it be difficult for the lady wanting the same man to recognize him unless she truly has eyes for him?"

A hand shot out and balled into a fist, crashing down upon Tamaki's head that made him double over, clinging to his skull. Haruhi could practically see the broken crown at that moment as Kyouya lowered his arm and slid the weapon of a fist into his pocket. "Pardon the interruption of your dramatic monologue, but we are losing daylight and I am sure Haruhi has other matters to attend to outside of your audience." He glanced over at the sophomore, "Go home, Haruhi."

"Ah—alright." She nodded once but the confusion for the rather severe expression on the Shadow King's face was obvious in her large eyes. Tamaki recovered from his pain and made to stop Haruhi from leaving but Kyouya moved around him and stood directly in front of the President.

"Why are you—Kyouya!" Tamaki stared as Haruhi disappeared behind the door, his ideas of pursuit fading. "Why couldn't I talk to Haruhi some more?"

"Because your speech was pissing me off," Ootori frowned. Tamaki's eyes widened when he too noticed how extremely murderous Kyouya seemed to be at the moment. "You talk about a woman's love as if you know all about that emotion. But you don't. Tamaki, you don't even recognize it when you're feeling it, so how can you obtain the right to preach to someone about it? Don't jump to conclusions that you know all about a human being simply because you interfere with their life styles and make a few girls squeal in delight over a tender smile."

"Kyouya, aren't you just as clueless as I am when it comes to these things?"

The Shadow King's glasses flashed in the light of the windows but hid his actual eyes; masking the true reaction.

"I know you, Kyouya." Tamaki smiled, "You're a smart guy, but when it comes to emotions, you can't really express them well. You're "too cool" to let others see you express something other than composure and a collected atmosphere. Everything is under control when it comes to you; it's no wonder you never tried to get a girlfriend."

Kyouya smirked, bowing his head a bit.

"An idiot among idiots…and yet you can still see right through me, can't you?"

But not completely...

"Oh, Kyouya, I wanted to ask you about something! Since we're alone it makes it easier to ask you." Suoh said with interest. Kyouya waited for it. "Do you like someone? Is that why you were so mad about what I was talking about with Haruhi?"

Ootori raised an eyebrow and removed his hand from his pocket, making Tamaki flinch a bit; believing he would be struck again. But he didn't strike; he merely folded his arms and watched the half for a measured amount of time.

"If I did, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it." He said, somewhat humored by the fact that he was telling the truth to the blond before him.

"Hm, why not?"

The genuine puzzlement made Kyouya chuckle.

"You've already made it perfectly clear to yourself why I can't pursue anyone. There is the complication of myself that gets in the way of ever wanting to care for someone." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I can't display affection for someone. It's not in my nature to be loving or tender towards a loved one; my sister was the closest I have ever come to revealing concerns and such. But even so, they were little expressed. I could like a girl more than anyone, but this club has made me believe that all women require moments of tenderness and they need loving embraces or gentle kisses."

Ootori, Kyouya smiled but it held nothing and Tamaki knew it. The sympathy for his friend was building up and when Kyouya checked he could see the tears already welling up in his eyes. He would have to wrap things up soon if he planned on returning home and setting up for the final day of his week with Haruhi. The plot would have to take its final twist before he could end it and allow the punishment to sink into Tamaki's thoughts until he could suffer the blow and then bounce back like the typical idiot he was. It would not take long, he was sure.

"Oh well, I don't mind it that much." He shrugged, "After all, everyone in the club knows I can not host genuinely as you do. I gain merit from those young ladies and their heightened affections."

"Kyouya," Suoh sniffed, "You will be able to find someone!" He grasped the Vice President's shoulders, "I promise, I will get you into shape to find a woman to make you smile! One you can feel for and express yourself to!"

Averting his eyes, Kyouya pushed the hands away. "Don't bother, if I already like someone, I should let the lingering affection last until I know I have officially lost interest in them."

"B-But—"

"I'm going home now." Ootori walked away from the blond as calmly as ever, smirking to himself as he exited out the door Haruhi had used previously and leaving a stammering Tamaki behind to contemplate his actions for a while. Perhaps then, he would be able to figure something out.

But Kyouya knew why he was angry before.

He had to be in order to throw his friend into confusion. But acting came easier than he expected, he knew this as he wondered down the hallway; putting the third music room behind him.

It was because Haruhi and Tamaki were alone.

He only admitted it to himself completely the other night, but Kyouya knew he liked their natural host more than he has for any other student in the school. The concept of loving her, however, was something he couldn't say to himself, love was too strong for a deviant like him to admit to. That wouldn't stop him from not wanting her to be alone with the person he is plotting against, though. He could be a jealous person if he needed to be, and Suoh, Tamaki's oblivious care for the special student infuriated him at times, even though his liking for Haruhi was vital to the third son's plans.

But just because they were all going according to plan, didn't mean he had to like all of it.

* * *

A/N:

Alright, I know that the story isn't going very well, I'm an idiot, worse than Tamaki, so Kyouya's plan seems intricate enough for everyone. But in all honesty, I don't even know what he's up to sometimes. Haruhi keeps jumbling everything up in his head, even though he won't let it be known to anyone.

However, I have news! The next chapter will hold Kyouya's final twist in his plans! But don't worry, the story won't end a cliff-hanger...yet.


	6. A Host's Alteration

****

**_A Host's Alteration_**

* * *

"Eh, you're not wearing a costume, Kyouya-senpai?"

"Since I'm not hosting today, there is no reason to." Kyouya said, glancing over at the brothers as they sat with their first round of customers.

The Victorian theme of the day didn't really suit the members of the host club, but since they have done more advanced genres before, he supposed that he had no right to complain. After all, Kyouya was partially to blame for making up some of the themes the club came up with in the first place, indirectly giving Tamaki the ideas so that he would appear to have no hand in it. Well, that was until Haruhi began to ask if it was his idea to begin with. It was hard to keep her in the dark for long after all.

"You must be relieved Tamaki hasn't forced you to wear a feminine style today." He pointed out, indicating with a hand the tailored suit she wore when she sat down with the usual tray of refreshments.

"A dress would have revealed too much if they were historically accurate," she explained as she poured the coffee, "Tamaki-senpai thought I would be exposed to the customers and I would be found out. The necklines of Victorian style dresses are really low after all."

"So he is putting some thought into the themes after all." Kyouya mused, "He's achieved some level of responsibility for the future then."

Haruhi stared, puzzled by his statement but her charge only picked up the china cup and took a small sip of the bitter dark liquid.

"Oh, that reminds me." Haruhi set her fist in her palm as she recalled the date, it was a gesture Kyouya hadn't seen in a while and suppressed a smile. "Today is my last day of being designated by you, isn't it?"

He set the cup back into the saucer on the table, "Yes it is."

"I hope I managed to keep it satisfactory." She smiled.

"I'm incapable of satisfaction." He smirked, "But you did well enough to be let off once my business is through."

"Alright, but do you mind if I ask why you designated me in the first place?"

The other host peered off at Tamaki, "Because it was something I wouldn't normally do." He smiled.

"Is that all?"

Turning back to her, Kyouya continued his slightly devious smile, "I have my reasons."

Haruhi frowned, disliking how evasive her one year senior was being. Kyouya wasn't very shocked by her annoyance directed at him, he would have been frustrated as well if he knew someone clever enough to plot out something and they wouldn't let him in on any of the details. It was already enough to let Hikaru and Kaoru have their fun with Haruhi without Suoh's knowledge, but Kyouya had other things in store aside from his plans. The gears were constantly turning in his head as he thought about other actions to take once he finished with Haruhi. Going back to his gloomy-faced and yet inwardly screaming small flock of guests was out of the question and the finances were manageable without constant reviews.

What to do, what to do. There were only so many things a rich man can do, especially when they've already exhausted everything their class can offer.

"Haruhi, your mother was a lawyer, correct?"

"Eh?"

"Your mother."

"Ah—yes, she was." Fujioka nodded, "I didn't think you had much interest in my family, Kyouya-senpai."

"I don't. I'm simply making conversation to take up time." He said folding a leg over the other and settling into the couch some more. The lounging ability was limited among guests, he still had a reputation to hold up, but it was enough to allow him to savor a bit of comfort from their money (some-what) well spent. "The only thing I am curious about is why you wanted to come to Ouran above other schools. You haven't mentioned why to anyone and so I'm asking on their account but out of my own interest as well."

"Well, I applied here because I thought Ouran's academics would challenge me enough. With a background at Ouran, I might be able to find a good college where I can study to be a lawyer like my mother. She was good at what she did and had fun with it, even though it was hard at some times. But I admired that, and if it helps rightfully judge people or help them in some way, I want to know I helped them out."

Kyouya stared for a moment, the surprise was actually evident in his widened eyes before he lowered his head a bit; averting the gaze. Haruhi was a smart girl, she could have chosen any career she wanted, of that he was certain. However, she wanted to be a lawyer, a kind of employment that was mainly frowned upon by many people because of the beliefs that all lawyers were cons in suits. In away, he was like a stereotype of a lawyer, he worked for the merit, they worked for the money.

But Haruhi wouldn't be that kind of a lawyer, and that's what shocked him, she would do it the right way, and people would look down on her for it. She had to know that, but she wanted to do it anyway.

"I didn't tell anyone, because it was pretty much irrelevant." Haruhi shrugged a bit, "My father told me that I can't just spend all of my time studying, I have to enjoy life as a teenager as long as I can because it's limited." Appearing more thoughtful, she smiled a bit, "I found out that I can have fun…if I stay in the host club."

"And so you stayed in spite of your debt being paid off." He confirmed.

She nodded, still smiling.

"Well, it's not in my nature to say things like this, but I am glad you stayed in this club." He fixed his glasses so that he didn't have to see her expression. "Things would not be as interesting without you around, and that idiot wouldn't have made any progress in growing up."

Haruhi followed his eyes to Tamaki then looked back to him, "I don't think I'm responsible for making him any different. He stills seems the same to me."

"To be blunt, he's not." Ootori corrected, "There are changes, little ones, but evident alterations. He's grown up since middle school, though no matter how much he grows, he will always be an Idiot King."

"Haruhi!"

"Y-Yeah?" she snapped out of a rather inappropriate stare and looked back over to Tamaki as he waved her over to his table, Kyouya nodding in admission for her leave as he leaned forward and picked up the cooling coffee.

"Your affect on him is something neither of you can see." He murmured, "It works in my favor, but who knows how long that oblivion will hold."

Takashi and Mitsukuni approached Kyouya and occupied the couch beside him, causing the junior to deposite his coffee and turn his attention to the other hosts. The rather serious expressions on their faces were enough to tell him what they were concerned about. Of course, Hunny would be the one who would vocalize them, Mori would only nod in confirmation a few times to prove he was still moving at least.

"Kyou-chan." Hunny murmured.

"Yes, Hunny-senpai?" he asked, casual enough with them to use their nicknames and honorifics without feeling awkward.

"Takashi and I were wondering…when we graduate, will we have to leave the host club? We won't be in high school any more and so being hosts will be difficult unless you and Tama-chan have something planned. I like coming here to play, Takashi enjoys it too, right?"

"Yeah."

"Whether or not you continue to act as hosts for Tamaki is entirely up to him and then there's your own opinions. If you want to continue to visit Ouran and continue to host the young ladies here, we will arrange it with the super intendant to make sure you are allowed, but if you prefer to move on, Tamaki is the one you should discuss this with. I do not have the authority, even as Vice President."

"B-But, Tama-chan is talking to Haru-chan and he also has people with him." Hunny sniffed, "We can't talk to him about it right now." The glossy eyes staring up at him were useless, he knew those eyes and became immune to their influence.

"Talk with him about it once club activities are over. He'll listen."

"Ok." The small teen mumbled with a slightly pouted expression before he and Mori rose and left, Mori nodding to Kyouya before following his cousin to join the small group filling their couches.

"That idiot will have to deal with their concerns. It's not my place to tell them what to do, especially now that things are beginning to move." He checked his watch. "Only two hours to go."

* * *

"I'm sorry that took so long." Haruhi apologized, sitting back down with Kyouya, "That was really drawn out."

"I knew it wouldn't be quick, there's no need to concern yourself with it." He said, holding up a hand to prevent anything further on the subject, "More importantly, club activities are winding down for the day, the customers are starting to leave and you have some china to clear up, correct?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "I was going to do that but I thought you might have needed me to do something for you. I'm not being a very good host today, am I?"

"Whether or not you are being a good host is something you shouldn't think about when I am your charge. As a fellow host, I know the pressures of keeping up with Tamaki's antics and my customer's wishes. All I can say is that you can go clean up with the others, I will wait for you to finish and then I will have one more favor to ask of you before my designation is complete."

"Alright, please excuse me, then." She said, slightly hesitant but she still rose and went to begin clearing off the tables. It wasn't long before Kaoru started to help her, Hikaru joining and the three starting up conversations among the tinkle of china and the silver serving platters flashed along the ceiling, distracting Kyouya from his thoughts for a moment or two.

Rather than spacing out, a rare occurance to begin with, Kyouya focused instead upon Tamaki and the two seniors expressing their concerns to him. He could see Hunny's concern and Mori did appear some-what troubled over it as well at this point, but Tamaki was smiling reassuringly and waving his hands, meaning he must have figured something out to keep them from leaving once graduation approaches. That was good news, especially at this point.

Checking his wrist watch again, Kyouya removed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed out a number, rising from the couch and trailing off to one of the great windows as the opposing line rang once before it was picked up.

"Bring the car out to the main building, I will be there shortly." He ordered, barely hearing the driver's voice on the other end make a confirmation before he snapped the piece closed and turned around to see a Haruhi waiting for him. She was rather fast at clean-up, but this was a bit hasty. Was she that dedicated to her charges?

Pocketing the phone, he slid his hands into his pockets and went to her, standing directly in front of her so that he had to lower his head a bit to make eye contact with the sophomore before him. The sensation of eyes on him was enough to reveal he had the other hosts' attention due to this degree of closeness to their female host.

The day really seemed to fly by, the whole week in fact.

"Kyouya-senpai—"

"Haruhi, you're no longer under my designation." He said, removing a hand and nudging the bridge of his glasses briefly before turning to the cluster of males watching him. The smile splitting Tamaki's face was poorly hidden. The King was pleased to see his daughter released from "Mother's" grasp at last, he bet. Well, he wasn't finished yet.

"I have an announcement to make." He smirked briefly before it faded and he shifted so that he completely faced the other members of the host club. "As of today, I am officially resigning from position of Vice President, let alone the Host Club. Meaning I will not be coming back to the third music room anymore."

"EH?!"

"MAH?!"

"AHH!"

It was a chorus of surprise that made him inwardly laugh but the Kyouya Ootori they were so shocked over was casually heading towards the exit of the room, reaching out and touching the handle just as they managed to collect themselves from the first bought of stupidity.

"K-KYOUYA!" Tamaki started to come forward, "You're joking, right?! This isn't funny!"

"Kyou-chan's making a mean joke!" Hunny whimpered, though he knew better.

"What about your customers?" the twins demanded.

"I have already notified the guests of my departure. I have knotted up all of the loose ends of my former position. My resignation was finalized the moment I informed you of it." He glanced from one face to the other, savoring the utterly flabbergasted expression on Suoh's face as he watched the co-founder of his precious club that only weeks ago he was about to disband head for the door.

Haruhi's soul was probably seeping out of her wide-open mouth and the twins were silent for once, staring at him and perhaps beyond.

"Everyone meets their limits. Something has come up and I will no longer be able to take part in the antics of the host club. Sad as it sounds, there it is." He opened the door and started to leave, holding up a hand in a motionless wave. "Ja ne."

It went in slow motion for all of the members standing there, watching as Ootori, Kyouya slowly disappeared from view as the door drifted closed behind him. At first all they could see was his back, then only a half of it, and finally a shoulder.

And the last trace of Kyouya Ootori was the final snap of the door completely shut in his wake and the singular black folder laying by a lukewarm cup of instant coffee.

* * *

A/N:

No, the story is not over. There is more to come, the plans aren't complete as of yet.


	7. A Wondering Host

**_

* * *

_**

**_A Wondering Host_**

* * *

"Tamaki-sama hasn't been very cheerful, has he?"

Haruhi paused from serving coffee to her customers, noticing that they were looking at her and so they were probably concerned about the President of the Host Club.

"Ever since Kyouya-sama left the host club, he has been upset." One of the girls said, looking off at the blond sympathetically. Haruhi too, peered over at him and noticed the sad smile he gave to one of his clients; they flushed but appeared just as sympathetic to him. It was as if he had resorted to Renge's idea of a sad prince she had wanted him to be before. Only this time, he pulled it off a bit more naturally.

The rest of the club felt it too, they were all trying to be normal but whenever Kyouya was mentioned, things would grow silent until Hunny managed to become cheerful again and suggest they eat more cake or play a little game.

Bringing the empty tray up and holding it against her chest, Haruhi stared down at the china cups and her fingers tightened a bit over the sides of the tray.

It had been a few days since Kyouya had resigned from the club and disappeared beyond the third music room's door. Hikaru had managed to snap and threw the notebook he left behind at the door before Kaoru had to calm him down. It was surprisingly painful knowing that the club had lost a member, but watching Tamaki crouch down and pick up some of the papers that fell out of the notebook made it heart-wrenching. Suoh did not make eye contact with anyone once he had the notebook gathered up, sticking the papers inside of the folder and walking into the other room.

How did it feel? She wondered, How did it feel to be left alone by someone who helped you establish something so successful together, and even become good friends with them, before they simply disappeared? What would she have done if she were in the blond junior's place?

"Haruhi-kun?"

"Ah—I'm sorry." She set the tray down but it fell off the edge of the table, falling onto the floor with a startling clang. The tray flapped over the floor a few times and then lie still, ready for her to reach down and pick it up.

"Are you alright?" one of the girls asked.

"I'm fine." She smiled, picking up the tray and setting it more securely on the table, noticing the hosts struggling to try and re-settle the atmosphere with quickened voices and nervous laughter. "I had the tray too far over, that's all."

"Haruhi-kun, have you seen Kyouya-sama at all?"

"Ah—no. I don't think anyone who hasn't been in class with him have seen him." Haruhi clarified, "I suppose Tamaki-senpai has talked to him since they're friends and all," she sat down with her clients, "But there's no reason for him to contact me. We weren't close at all."

For some reason, saying that made her heart feel a bit heavier than before.

* * *

"Tamaki-senpai."

Lifting his head, Tamaki's fingers twitched momentarily on the keys of the piano. Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru had entered the room and kept the teen from playing the instrument. Judging by the position of his fingers before he lowered them into his lap, he was about to play something without even realizing it.

"Tono, did you talk to Kyouya-senpai at all?" Hikaru asked, Kaoru copying him as he placed his hands on his hips.

Tamaki was quiet.

"Senpai?" Haruhi reached over, resting her hand over his shoulder in a considerate gesture.

He flinched and looked up at her, lowering his eyes to her hand before resting his own over the much smaller limb. "I did. We've spoken in class since then, but when I call him, he will not pick up."

"Tono, you're acting as if you lost a lover." Kaoru said, raising an eyebrow.

"Kaoru, Tamaki-senpai and Kyouya-senpai founded the host club together." Haruhi frowned up at the twin. She expected him to be more reasonable than that. "The Host club is an important part of their friendship, right? It's amazing he hasn't curled into a ball in a corner yet."

The King twitched, paling a bit.

"You're right; he's been handling it better than he normally would."

Something Kyouya had said resounded in Haruhi's mind then.

"_There are changes, little ones, but evident alterations. He's grown up since middle school, though no matter how much he grows, he will always be an Idiot King."_

"Kyouya pointed that out!" she gasped, causing Tamaki and the others to stare at her. Haruhi managed to smile a bit and lowered her eyes to Tamaki. "Kyouya-senpai said you were maturing, slowly, but you're growing up to be more of an adult."

"Why would it matter if I were growing up somehow?" Suoh asked, sulking again as he trailed his fingertips over the keys, his other hand still over Haruhi's but the fingers curling around until he held it there.

"I don't think he would have paid such close attention to your progress if he didn't care about you or your friendship."

Kaoru snapped into realization as well, "Haruhi has a point, you said so yourself that you still talk in class, right?"

"Yes?" He appeared puzzled, Hikaru joining the leader in the oblivion.

"The day Kyouya-senpai left, he said he had things keeping him from participating in club activities." Kaoru pointed out, holding up an index finger, "That could be why he isn't answering his phone."

That seemed to strike a section of realization in Tamaki's brain because he perked up a little bit, eyes widening. He released Haruhi's hand and searched the eighty eight keys before him as he thought it over in his head, each time it revolved it made a little more sense to him.

"Then, Kyouya and I are still friends; he's just not in the club anymore?"

"YES!" Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru snapped; a bit annoyed that it took him this long. Then again, all three of them just figured it out at that moment.

It was enough to make Tamaki leap up from the piano bench and look up towards the ceiling in hope as he reached out, "A friendship forged immediately after meeting, the opening of a club that amounted to an immediate success, and that bond carry out for two years while each managing side conflicted with family troubles…I understand now! Kyouya left the host club, not because he was sick of it, but because he had things to do with his family to improve their relationship further than they ever have before!"

"Um, I don't think that's—"

The twins interrupted Haruhi.

"Just let him think what he wants. It'll make things a bit less glum." They said in lowered voices as their King practically shook with excitement over the fact he thought he had come to an understanding with Kyouya's departure.

Oh how far off they seemed to be…

* * *

**A Few Months Later**

* * *

Temperatures seemed to drop rather dramatically, considering it was only reaching the end of fall and another graduation has come and gone on the ground of Ouran High School. From what he heard from Tamaki in class and on the phone when he decided to take his calls, was that Mori and Hunny were still going to host at the school with permission from the super intendant. He didn't ask them on their graduation since he thought it would be better to stay away from the members of the club for a little while. Without realizing it he was already entering his senior year at Ouran with Tamaki in the same class once more, but the host club was still one place he refused to go to.

Kyouya stared out the window as the car continued to drive along a reasonable flow of traffic. The heater made him uncomfortable due to the stifling coat he was still wearing, not to mention the layers beneath it. Try to ignore it for the moment though; there was something surreal about watching every-day people wondering the streets in the cold. People of all ages occupying the sidewalks without a care in the world, emotions of every kind scrawled on their faces like smudged drawings. The fog over the windows he had to clear away on occasion made every smile a smudge. It was a bit frustrating…frustrating like that goddamn heater.

"Stop the car." Kyouya called to the driver in annoyance.

The car immediately pulled up along the sidewalk and Kyouya retrieved a black store-bought scarf from the seat. "Find something to keep you occupied for a while. I'm going to walk."

"K-Kyou-sama are you—"

The teen was already out on the walk and slamming the door.

Wrapping the dark material about his neck once, Kyouya wondered into the stream of people, a whole new kind of traffic. Perhaps it was that little Tamaki gene in him that made him want to walk among commoners, he had already been watching them from the car window, and outside he could see them without a pane of glass separating them. It was more real to him now, feeling people brush his sleeve as they passed or a little kid nearly crash into them before the hand they were attached to jerk them away and apologetic parents flashed brief apologetic smiles. Either way, they kept on going, some darting into shops, others stopping to observe posters or signs outside of them.

It was a peaceful feeling somehow, blending in and not being singled out as another wealthy kid. Sure his coat looked too expensive to belong, but the black color camouflaged its wealth and he just looked like a teen with a new jacket.

"It gets so cold near the end of fall. I could have sworn it was just spring!" a girl with dyed blond hair grinned as she pulled a friend after her out of a shop. The girl staggering behind her reminded him a bit of Haruhi with her big eyes and brown hair but she looked too timid and her hair was too long. She gasped as they collided due to her friend's carelessness and he barely moved an inch as opposed to the girl being thrown off balance and her friend releasing her and grasping a lamppost to keep from crashing into it.

"I'm so sorry!" The brunette cried out, bowing to him.

Kyouya watched her as she rose and bowed three more times, apologies constant before he remembered Tamaki's rather sparratic gestures that resembled the girls panic. His shoulders shook for a moment and a small laugh escaped him and then he cracked up all together, clinging to his sides as he did the day Tamaki saw right through him three years ago.

"Um—sir?"

Stopping, he looked at the girl and held up his hand, "Don't stress over it."

Sliding his hands into his pockets where his bare fingers savored the lingering bits of warmth from the car's heater, he listened to the murmurs of the voices around him, overhearing the redhead talk with the brunette excitedly, the more timid girl stammering until he lost track of their voices. Even out in the real world he seemed to have an effect on people, even if he wasn't in the host club anymore, the charms he put on revealed themselves on occasion. It was habit now to try and be courteous, even if he gained nothing from it.

"This isn't healthy." He murmured, shaking his head as he passed a few more stores.

He was starting to see things that he didn't want to see, little reminders of the life he had with the members of the club. The smallest things would make them excited and sometimes they would freak out too much for their own good. The blond girl's hair was too familiar a shade, the brunette's face with eyes he wanted to forget more than any other aspect of that club. He had his reasons for leaving, but how can someone forget another person when there are always going to be reminders thrown in his face?

The crowds seemed to be thinning out now; the late afternoon sky was coating itself with dark gray clouds that were too ominous for snow. It was too soon for snow anyway, perhaps there was a storm coming. That would explain the lessening number of people on the sidewalks, also because he was beginning to see a few apartment complexes around at this point, meager two-story structures that could have fit inside of his vacation homes, let alone the main Ootori manor.

"Hey, look!"

He paused and saw that there was only a handful of stores left. Perhaps he would have to turn around soon and eventually call the car back. However, his attention was soon fixing upon two little boys standing in front of a window. From behind they appeared almost identical. Whether or not they were twins was confirmed when he saw their faces reflected in the window of the store they were ogling. The same face on both boys, they were, indeed, identical twins.

"Wow, you can actually drive it?"

"Uh huh! But daddy wouldn't buy it."

"Yeah, it's too expensive." The other boy said, put out by the price.

"Maybe mommy can talk him into it!" The gasped in unison, looking at one another and laughing at their unintended synchronization. It wasn't long before the twins left the window and Kyouya could see what they were looking at.

In the window display was a foreign toy car that was small enough for children their size to drive. The price tag, in his eyes, didn't seem like much, but to someone in Haruhi's position, perhaps it was a bit pricey.

Abandoning the toy store, Ootori moved on, glancing around at the living quarters he had come to pass. Exact duplicates, one after another, apartments built in the same manner with the same people in the same position under every roof.

"These look familiar."

He paused, looking up at one of the complexes. The familiarity struck him rather suddenly, he regognized the railing, the colors of the doors, the uniform fencing that walled it off from the sidewalk. The second to last place he would want to be had materialized in front of him. It appears he had been walking for a bit too long after all.

Sighing, he felt the invisible cloud of his breath be pushed into his face and he had to remove his glasses and clear them off on his scarf before replacing them. Peering back up at the building he noticed that in the time he had been looking away, a man and a little boy wondered past him, the man nodding to him silently before leading the little boy off in the direction Kyouya had just came. He followed them with his eyes, frowning when he saw the child dragging a stuffed animal with it. He hoped to god that it wasn't a stuffed bunny.

"Ah—Kyouya-senpai!"

He turned back and lifted his eyes to the upper floor, immediately wishing he had turned around and kept walking the moment he recognized the complex. It had been months since he saw one of the reasons he wanted to get out of the host club. He hadn't seen her since she was hosting him and giving him that smile that was too warm for someone like him to ever encounter from another person.

Kyouya didn't want to see the girl standing there. Ootori hated seeing her blue jeans, the pink sweater, her lengthening hair. But most of all, he hated seeing those eyes, the large liquid eyes that saw through him just as sharply as Tamaki's ever did.

Something was with her though, someone was occupying her arm that made his eyes widen in shock and confusion behind his glasses.

A child was sitting in the crook of her arm.

* * *

A/N:

I know the quality is down. I'm a laxy writer and so things turn out pretty rough and un-explained, but it's still something to let you know what's happening with Kyouya and his thoughts on Haruhi. More to come, thanks for the reviews so far, please keep them up!


	8. I Don't Want to be Near You

_**Chapter Eight**_

**_I Don't Want to be Near You_**

* * *

"Haruhi, since when did you have a child with you?" Kyouya asked, arriving at the top of the landing. His feet had become his worst enemy for carrying him up the stairs to her.

"Oh," she looked from the child to Kyouya. "This is Akira, his mother asked me to watch him while she bought groceries. She had to buy a lot to stock up for a while so she needed both arms and her husband is working."

"I never expected you to be the babysitting type." He commented, touching his chin.

Haruhi frowned, "I'm no expert, and he's just an easy kid to take care of."

Kyouya restrained the urge to smile.

"I was about to take him inside. We've been playing by the stairs but it's pretty cold today."

"I won't keep you then." He said, turning around and preparing to head back down the stairs.

"Wait, why were you here in the first place, senpai?"

The child sneezed and she jumped, looking down at him as he clung to her neck.

Kyouya heaved a sigh, facing her again, "Take him inside."

"Please, come in." she invited but it sounded more of a statement than a request.

Kyouya stood behind her while she unlocked the door and pushed it open, his hand reaching out over her head and holding it open so she could support the child. He didn't expect gratitude, he only held it open to be courteous since she invited him in and followed her inside.

Shutting the door behind him, he peered around the apartment, removing his boots before stepping up and removing his coat and scarf. Haruhi indicated where he could set them down before she disappeared into the sitting area where she set the child on his feet; removing the little jacket that stiffened his arms to jut out like a cross. Soon the child was back to normal and Kyouya could see how small it really was as Haruhi straightened up, looking ready to say something to him but the child caught her eye again. His arms were reaching up for her and he had a feeling he had intimidated the child. No surprise there, Kyouya was not the gentlest looking teenager to behold after all.

"How old is Akira?" he asked, trying to keep the air clear of any lingering questions about himself or why he left the host club that Haruhi could pick out and ask him. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to see this room or the female in it. Months without seeing her was doing him some good, he was beginning to handle things the way he used to without her on his mind. But that wasn't all true, and it pissed him off how far he had fallen. The plan was perfect, it had fallen through with only one glitch and it was standing in front of him.

"He's almost two." She said after a bit of thought, "He knows a few words but he's a quiet boy so he doesn't say them to me. I hear him on occasion with his family when I pass their apartment, but shyness is a funny thing with little kids."

_Stop smiling at me. _He thought bitterly.

"Where is your father?"

"The bar is open late and he is working for someone tonight so he will be home a little later."

_That seems too convenient for some reason…and it's not working in my immediate favor._

A little later was more reassuring than plain "late" but he wanted to finish up there and leave before she could interrogate. In the state he was in, after being away from her and falling foolishly into the pit of like for her, he wouldn't be able to conceal his reasons for leaving the host club. The lack of dealing with the complex minds of the six individuals have watered him down to thinking he could handle them as he handled classmates. A false smile and a passing sentence would clear it up and he could move on, but the members of that club knew him, two of them could even see right through him.

Since when did he become so uneasy about his abilities to manipulate and conceal?

Was it because of Fujioka, Haruhi?

"If you'll sit down, I'm going to feed him and then I'll make some tea." Haruhi said, adjusting her hold on the child who had been as active as a doll since she picked him up in the first place.

Kyouya nodded, watching her leave and noticing Akira staring at him over her shoulder as she wondered into the little kitchen. The dark eyes looked curious about him rather than frightened now, but he doubted that kid would want to spend any time around him. He wasn't father material, not with what he was brought up with. If left on his own, Kyouya would only be able to take care of himself. One of the reasons why he refused to listen to his father's idea of making Haruhi his fiancé one day, he just couldn't express himself enough to make another human being happy with him. False emotion was all he knew, and it was enough to keep only the Idiot Lord happy.

Damn it, he thought about him again.

Tamaki was drying up his plan rather quickly, a fault he did not expect when he made the initial plan. Things had continued for too long and Tamaki was once too happy and it made him worry the plan had snapped like a twig. However, their first week of the new school term remedied that when he heard classmates talk of how solemn Tamaki became during club hours again. The phone calls became less frequent and when they spoke in class Suoh never mentioned the club or anyone in it. It was as if the club never existed when he was around that stupid blond.

What went wrong?

What was making it go right again?

He lowered himself onto the floor, folding his legs and noticing Haruhi walking back and fourth in the kitchen, checking in the fridge or using the small counter to prepare for the child in her arm. A part of him wanted to go help, hold the kid, grab a bowl, something to take his mind off of the thoughts that had once held so much malice in his head. The softening of his plot genuinely frightened him, but the meager desire to assist Haruhi only made him want to stay where he sat even more.

Leaving should have been his only option if he knew being in her presence would drive him crazy like this.

"Ah—Akira, one at a time!" Haruhi gasped, drawing his attention back to the kitchen. "You can't fit that many in your mouth!"

Her giggling sounded better than the memories of silly laughing coming from excited customers with their charming hosts. His customers didn't giggle, they smirked, they smiled, they blushed, and they bragged, but never giggled. It was almost refreshing to hear a real laugh that was softer than his guffaw in the street earlier, so nice it drew him to his feet and to the kitchen where he peered in through the doorway, resting his hand against the frame as he slid the other into his pocket.

Akira was sitting on the floor on a towel, a bowl of cut up melon in between his spread out legs and his hands continuously grabbing for the fruit and Haruhi kneeling in front of him, trying to grab it away before he could shove too much in his mouth. He watched them, not sure what it was that made him feel a little bit warmer as she rubbed at his mouth with a corner of the towel or allowed Akira to set a piece of melon in her mouth so that he wasn't the only one being fed.

Haruhi would be a good mother one day, not the best, but judging by the smile on the child's face, she would be decent enough. The only complication with imagining her as a mother was who would be with her, who would stand back and watch her play with the baby and then join in the fun as well? She may not have thought about relationships or children, but he knew Tamaki and the twins constantly worried about it.

Kyouya had been watching them for so long that he didn't even realize he steeped into thought far enough for Haruhi to notice him standing there.

"Kyouya-senpai, do you want to help?"

He snapped out of it. How uncharacteristic of him to space out so suddenly. "I won't be much help, so I'm declining that offer."

"Eh? Why not, it's not difficult."

"Haruhi, you have forgotten what I'm like, have you?" he asked, frowning.

"You haven't tried though." She said, tilting her head slightly, "How do you know you won't be helpful until you try? I don't remember you giving up on something so easily."

The former Shadow King stiffened where he stood. He stared at her but soon looked to Akira, who was staring up at him with the same quizzical expression that he didn't expect a one year old to posses. Children had so many secrets to them…

"What do you want me to do?" he sighed.

"Don't be like that." She glared, "You can gain something from this, you know. When you have a family you can use this experience to your advantage."

"I gain merits from this, eh?" he smiled but it faltered a bit. "This is something Tamaki would gain from, not me. But, since I'm here, I might as well do it."

"That sounds familiar." She grinned.

Kneeling before Akira beside Haruhi, Kyouya looked at the bowl, the melon within it had been squashed by baby fingers and he could smell the juices, let alone see them covering the child's face and hands. He watched the baby for a moment before it moved on its own and picked up a partially smashed bit of melon and stuck it into his mouth, watching Kyouya before the corners of Akira's mouth turned up in a smile. The innocence in that smile caught him off guard.

"I don't know much about children…but I think he tolerates you well." Haruhi mused as she wiped her hands on her jeans.

"You assume too much." He muttered but still watched the child, not noticing Haruhi get up and go to the sink.

"I'll start the tea, you only have to make sure he eats those one at a time."

He had no choice, so he watched the runt.

Akira seemed to have it under control, grabbing squashed melon and shoving it in his mouth so that his fingers came out gleaming from the juice and each time he smiled as if he had accomplished something. Sometimes he would break eye contact with Kyouya so the teen could check on Haruhi's progress with the tea, but Ootori found himself checking on Akira again after each glance.

"No." Kyouya found himself talking to him now, reaching out and grasping the child's hand, feeling the sticky fruit warming up in the small fist and he pried open the fingers, plucking the fruit out of his hand. "Chew."

The kid listened; he gave it credit for that.

It wasn't long before the melon was gone with only some residue on the bottom of the bowl. Haruhi took over then, cleaning up the boy's hands and wiping his face with a damp cloth as Kyouya leaned against the counter. Taking a sip of the freshly made commoner's tea, he heard a knock at the door that nearly made him jump had he been any more disturbed by his actions than he already was.

"Kyouya-senpai, hold him for a moment, alright?" Haruhi said, approaching him.

Setting the tea down, Ootori accepted the miniature human and mimicked Haruhi's method of holding it with one arm, the boy sitting on the crook of his arm while he steadied him with his other hand. Holding the child on his hip was a little too much for him at this point.

"Yes, ah—you're finished with your shopping?"

"Yes. Thank you so much, Haruhi-chan. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't watch him for me." A woman said, smiling as if she were ready to cry.

Kyouya approached the door and the woman's eyes widened a bit, her cheeks coloring.

"H-Haruhi-san, who is this?"

"Oh, this is my senpai, Ootori, Kyouya." Haruhi said, indicating him with a hand, "He helped me feed him just now so Akira-kun should be ready for a nap soon."

"Thank you so much." The woman said again, only this time she seemed to be thanking Kyouya too.

"Did you need any help with your groceries?"

"Oh, no." she shook her head, "No, I took care of that."

Feeling a bit awkward, Kyouya stepped forward and handed Akira to his mother, the baby's arm stretching out and wrapping around the woman's neck so tight he almost thought he was choking her.

"Mama missed you!" she said, heightening her voice a bit before looking back to them and inclining her head, "Thank you, I should be getting him home now."

"Ah—his coat!" Haruhi gasped, turning around and disappearing for a grand total of five seconds before she was back and handing the mini-coat to the mother.

Once the door was shut, Haruhi leaned against it and sighed. It wasn't a weary sigh, it sounded a little more content than he expected to hear.

"She didn't pay you for watching him?" Kyouya asked, the glare in his glasses hiding the curiosity in his eyes.

"I didn't ask for money." Haruhi said, looking up at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "She doesn't have much money, those groceries were probably what was left of her husband's paycheck."

He looked away from her, trying not to think about what kind of income that family could have been living on.

"I should be going as well, then." He said finally; moving to grab his coat.

A hand closing about his sleeve stopped him and he peered down at Haruhi, who had pushed off of the door. She appeared serious now, her eyes on the floor but not in a bashful sense so it couldn't have been anything he would have regretted staying for.

"Kyouya-senpai, we need to talk."

Alright, maybe it was something he would regret staying for.

"I was afraid you would be unsatisfied without an explanation." He sighed, smiling to himself as he admitted defeat. She probably wasn't going to let him leave without telling her something about his actions those several months ago.

Did she carry questions into her second year of high school with her?

They returned to the sitting room, seating themselves at the table with tea in between them as they positioned themselves across one another in the room. Haruhi cupped her hands about her tea, Kyouya folding his arms over the table as he waited for her to start asking her questions.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Fujioka's fingers tensed, "Well, there are a lot of things that I need to ask, most of it for the sake of everyone."

"Ask your questions."

Taking a sip of the tea, she set it down with a small tap, placing her hands on the edge of the table so that she grasped it then loosened her grip again.

"Why did you leave the Host Club? A club _you_ helped found in the first place?"

He peered over the top of his glasses and Haruhi hardly noticed, but her breath caught for a moment in her chest. "Do you want to know all of it?"

She nodded once.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and leaned on the table, relaxing in her presence since there was no one to impress.

"Then you'll have to hear the shortened version."

* * *

A/N:

At last, the SHORTENED version of Kyouya's plot will be revealed! Now, he may have made it sound elaborate and everything...but I'm too simple-minded and goody-goody to actually think up of a truly sinister plot. -- So, I apologize ahead of time for how lame it sounds for Kyouya Ootori to have thought up. If he existed, he'd probably send the infamous Private Police to arrest me. Dang it...


	9. A Stormy Confession

**_Chapter Nine_**

**_A Stormy Confession_**

* * *

"If you go back into the time before I left, beyond the week I designated you and to the night of the end of the Ouran festival, you will reach the beginning of it all. Tamaki had claimed he would disband the Host Club and marry that Miss Éclair Tonneré all in order to see his mother again. However, when you brought him back after convincing him the club needed to stay together because of their liking for it, he changed his mind and it was forgotten by everyone from that moment on."

"I wasn't able to forget it that easily. Sure, I smiled at him and accepted him back with only a little prank at the dance, but I can a vengeful person if I want to be. Tamaki made everyone worry and expected to get off guilt free after one leap off of a bridge for you. Disagreeing with that idea, I decided to exact punishment so that he would not do something so reckless again. Of course, being what I am, I ended up formulating a plan that worked for me, but withheld consequences that I was foolish to not catch on when I began scheming. Soon I created it and I started on putting it into action immediately, beginning with the factor of your indefinite influence over his heart."

"I knew the idea of a host entertaining another host would be enough to make him temporarily incensed, especially when it's you and the fact that you were being forced to wear clothing suiting your true gender. I managed to calm him down with some help from the others, but it did not end with dressing you up in the girls' uniform or having you host me for almost an inclusive week. Interaction with myself alone would not be enough to make him worry about loosing his precious daughter, and so I involved Hikaru and Kaoru to give them a chance to have you for themselves—as they desired for some time back then—and sort out a few things with you that would ease their own concerns for your lengthening time with myself. Satisfying them is a difficult task, you know this very well at this point, but Tamaki knows they were up to something with you now. He nagged me about it on the phone shortly after my resignation since I was no longer obligated to keep secrets for the club. However, I did not tell him everything, so he stays oblivious to a few facts on that day."

Haruhi shifted a bit but didn't say anything; she rotated her teacup then peeked back up at him. She nodded a little; waiting for him to continue.

"To make things a bit shorter—though it may be too late at this point—I planned to have you host me and then once my designation ended, I would act on the ultimate means of a suitable discipline for Tamaki. He values friendships more than anyone I am aware of ever have, and so, I figured that if he lost one as close to him, one that helped build up his idea since it's conception, he would finally encounter that final blow and the chastisement would end…once he stopped pouting."

"For a while he seemed to cheer up and I thought everything would be finished, but the sulking returned soon after. I don't know what made him perk up and then stoop down again, but it made a fault in my plans that I will not be able to fix without him trying to get a hold of me again. I can not make the first move, because it will not be a successful ending to this rat race I concocted."

"So, you were being selfish and punishing Tamaki-senpai for threatening to dissolve the Host Club?" Haruhi asked. The bluntness of her response was something he had grown used to and so he concentrated more on her tone. She didn't sound angry, but she was certainly not cheerful either.

"I am not a very forgiving person when it comes to my own disappointment, and I don't expect others to forgive me." He said, folding his hands over one another on the table. "I did it and I don't expect to gain much from it other than Tamaki's realization that he had made a mistake. I will tell him of the plot in my own time."

"So, why did you tell it to me now?"

"That is one question I am going to have to ask myself first before I can give an answer. Perhaps it is because you listen, even if it's something you don't want to hear." He smirked, "You'll know when I know."

She lowered her eyes.

"Are you angry?" he asked, not concerned but curious.

"No." she shook her head, "I just think you went a bit too far. You did it for his own good and I understand that, but there should be limitations to how elaborate you can make a plan, Kyouya-senpai."

"And you have only heard the shortened version of it." He said with a sly gleam in his eye.

"Jeez, I don't really know what to think about that plan. I'm surprised it worked out as well as it did."

"There were un-expected turns, but yes, it mostly fell out the way I intended it to."

They both concentrated on drinking the rest of their tea before Haruhi took the dishes into the kitchen.

Kyouya moved away from the table, edging over to the wall where he pressed his back into it and drew up a leg. Bracing his arm over the kneecap, he checked the watch peeking out from his sleeve and acknowledged that it was settling into evening at this point, only a few more hours of daylight perhaps.

Now that he had told her about what he'd been up to, he felt somewhat foolish for keeping it a secret for so long and then explaining it half-heartedly. Then again, Haruhi required the edited version since she was responsible for a few of the faults in the punishment. The fact he acknowledged that he liked her that one night months ago altered a lot, making him enjoy his time under Haruhi's hosting rather than going through the motions.

Sitting there in silence reminded him of just how tired he was and his limbs ached from all of the blind walking that came back to haunt him where he sat. The muscles were stiff and throbbed dully in his legs and he tilted his head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

Was it right to tell her?

Man he was tired.

Should he have just told Tamaki of it and let it go?

The room was starting to slip away.

_I told her…because I like her._

Not seeing the hidden female in months tore at him, he hated the thought of her like he did since he saw her again. The memory of her tore at him like claws at his insides and left him a tattered mess, the same mess that sat there against the wall now, watching the world grow black. This strange affection that he never expected to endure had consumed him and now he had nothing left. Such was the effect of a woman; they could make you do crazy things if you felt the slightest bit for them.

They could even change who you are.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm alright. Kyouya-senpai is here."

"_Kyouya-kun? My, I haven't heard from him in a while! Ah—but what is he doing there?"_

"I don't know why, I just saw him outside the apartments earlier when I was watching Megumi-san's son. He helped me out until Megumi-san picked Akira up, so I think he's going home soon."

"_Don't let him go home so soon! It's cold outside!"_

"He'll be riding in a car, father. I don't think the weather with bother him." Haruhi frowned, sighing into the receiver to notify her father on the other end that he had made a rather foolish demand. Of course he wouldn't catch on; he would still want Ootori to be present when he came home from work. "Listen, I'm going to get off the phone now. He's probably bored sitting in the living room with nothing to do."

"_Haruhi! I'm offended that you don't know how to properly entertain guests!"_

"Goodbye, father." Haruhi grumbled into the phone, not taking much care in slamming it onto the hook and turning her back to it as if it would start pleading with her.

"I didn't have much time to offer him anything else, I took the tea cups back in the kitchen and then you called." She complained to herself.

Touching her forehead; praying she wouldn't receive a headache from her father's ability to annoy her like Tamaki could, Fujioka wondered back into the sitting room where she had left Kyouya to fend for himself in the rather sparsely furnished room.

"I'm sorry about taking so—"

She paused a few steps from the doorway, noticing him leaning against the wall, his head bowed and an arm limply supported by his drawn up knee.

Judging by the steady rise and fall of his chest and the fact that he didn't even move when she was talking during her entry, hinted that the rich teenager had actually fallen asleep. Could that really be a possibility with Kyouya? Haruhi approached him and squatted in front of him, tilting her head to the side to check beyond the dark bangs at the state of his eyes.

They were closed, as she expected.

"I never thought he would fall asleep in front of other people." She murmured, reaching over and pinching her fingers around the wire of his glasses that were already sliding down his nose and threatening to fall off. Removing them slowly, she folded them and set them upon the television then sat on her heels, setting her hands on her knees as she watched the former Shadow King slumber against her wall. "Must have had a lot on his mind or something…"

Perhaps he did, she did see him standing outside of her apartment complex alone, there wasn't a trace of an expensive car in sight and the only other people in the area were some fellow tenants that were wondering back into the shopping district. When he came up the stairs she saw his hair wasn't as pristine as it used to be and his skin was slightly flushed from evident long-term exposure to the unseasonably cold air. He held the door open for her and even helped with Akira for a moment…all actions she never expected from Ootori, Kyouya. Just what was he doing outside like that?

Thanks to her father's phone call she was gone too long and he fell asleep before she could even ask him about it. Telling all about his plot was a step towards things being explained but there were other questions swimming around in the commoner's head that she needed to ask him while he was still open enough to reveal his inner workings. Today must have been stressful to him, making him vulnerable and open for questioning since his guard had been dropped.

_Should I wake him up?_

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru had explained that Hunny and Kyouya shared the same blood type and so when they woke up they were usually rather cruel to the ones around them. However, since Kyouya had never really napped (that she knew of) maybe that meant she would be able to escape unscathed if she woke him up. Besides, it was late and she was sure he didn't want to stay at her apartment all night, not when he had feather mattresses and other rich tid-bits she didn't want to think about waiting for him.

Gathering her nerves, she extended a hand to the dark-haired youth and grasped his shoulder firmly enough that she was sure he would feel her even if he was remotely alert in the world around him. "K-Kyouya-senpai, wake up." She jostled him a bit.

He didn't stir.

"Hey!" she groaned, shaking him a bit harder, "Kyouya-senpai!"

A hand brushed hers away from his shoulder and she backed off, watching the spidery hand clap over his face and even though he grumbled something about light, she felt he wasn't going to be ripping her head off anytime soon.

"Glasses." He stated, lowering his hand and lifting his head.

Haruhi pointed at the television.

Gathering up the spectacles and replacing them in their right position, Kyouya glanced about the room for a moment. "I'm still here, huh?"

He sounded more normal than she expected and it frightened her a little more than experiencing a half-asleep demon. She followed everywhere he looked then gave up, guessing he was trying to locate a clock rather than looking at his watch. "It's getting late, Kyouya-senpai. I thought you would want to be getting home."

"Thanks."

His drawn up leg slid over the mat and Haruhi watched the long leg extend past her a bit, her body tensing against her better judgment.

"I'll call a car." He sighed, traces of sleep barely evident but easily slowing his movements as he drew himself up onto the balls of his feet and then straightened, towering over Haruhi where she still knelt on the floor.

Kyouya retrieved his cell phone from his pocket.

"Has your father come home yet?"

She twisted around a bit, "No, he's still—!!"

Kyouya's thumb hesitated over the numbers on the phone, turning around to see why she had suddenly gone quiet.

Haruhi was stiff, her eyes wide and he could barely hear the traces of a fading rumble of thunder. That was enough of a hint to tell what had silenced her so suddenly.

"Ah—he's still working." She said quickly, jumping to her feet, "You wanted to call a car for yourself, right? Better do that before the weather gets bad."

The storm was approaching rapidly enough to produce another crash that silenced the fresh junior and made her lower her head as tremors started to make her shoulders down to her knees shake violently. The sight was strange, it made Ootori's hand slacken on the phone enough to feel it slipping through his fingers until he hooked them about the plastic to cage it in his grasp.

So, this was how she reacted to thunder…he had heard Tamaki mention it to everyone as he shouted it into the phone during the day Hikaru and Haruhi had their first date. It seemed to be useless information at the time since there weren't that many storms when they were around Haruhi and so he stored it as irrelevant. Seeing it now caught him further off guard.

Fujioka, Haruhi was usually a strong girl who could handle practically anything dealt her way with few exceptions; this was the first time that he had caught her in the act of being genuinely afraid of something. Tonight was too coincidental for his own sanity…stopping in front of her apartment, her dad being at work, and now this thunderstorm? Someone, anyone, in charge of his actions was probably having a good laugh right about now. ((And I am. ))

"Haruhi, you know how thunder is generated." He arched any eyebrow, "And yet it's still frightening?"

She nodded but didn't look like she wanted to talk anymore. The girl crouched down by the table, covering her ears as another rumble made the apartment tremble with her. Kyouya held up his phone, observing the screen and seeing that there was still a signal displayed in the upper left hand corner, he could still put a call through to his car.

_Shit._

The phone snapped shut and disappeared into his pocket again.

* * *

It was noisy, loud, menacing, each crash that made the knick-knacks shudder where they sat and danced inches closer to the edge of shelves or jittered in the cabinets. Thankfully she couldn't see the flashing of the lightning where she was but the thought of the bolts striking the tallest structures or forking across the gray blanket overhead. Fingers of rain drummed over the roof and the thunder rumbled to a monster's roar that made her body curl into a ball involuntarily with its power.

Grasping her own shoulders and feeling too frightened to be embarrassed, Haruhi waited for it to pass, waited for Kyouya to be gone and the apartment to empty so she could collect herself again. But for now the rain was harsh and the thunder was steadily growing worse than a Godzilla's roar, proving that the weather was just beginning its assault.

_Just, sit through it; it'll go away soon…_

Her thoughts were the only soothing words she knew she would hear, Tamaki and Hikaru spoiling her when they held her throughout storms in the past but now Kyouya was there. Haruhi knew better than to think Kyouya would try to comfort her in this kind of situation. He was probably being pretty amused by it at this point.

She jumped when fingers slid around her back and another hand caught under her legs. Momentarily breaking out of the trance of fear, she began to look up at whoever was picking her up. It was a shock to see Kyouya holding her in his arms and crossing the small room until he slid the partially open door to another room open with his foot, twisting to fit through without making any of her collide with the narrow opening.

If he was just finding a room, he was pretty good at finding them because they were in hers and he was resting her upon the futon, taking his hands away the minute she was on the mattress as if she burned him. The thunder knocked the shock out of her and she laid down upon her side, drawing herself up into a ball.

The comforting warmth of a blanket made her glance over her shoulder, still shaken, at Ootori as he drew the blanket over her positively vibrating form.

"You can hide your head if it will make you feel any better, but this is all I can think of to do for you." Kyouya said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm not used to wanting to comfort others in genuine fear."

* * *

He sat upon the edge of the futon, watching her cringe and try to press her palms over her ears further, anything to block out the noise beyond the apartment's walls. Watching through half-lidded eyes, he leaned over her and placed his hand over hers, cupping over the knuckles and aiding in muffling out the sound for her. It wasn't much help, he believed, but he didn't want to stifle her with a pillow to try and bring silence for her. She probably would have thought he was trying to kill her if he tried that.

"Stop shivering." He said, drawing her hand away enough to be heard, "I'll sit with you until you don't need me anymore, but you need to stop."

Sliding their hands back over her ear, she managed a miniscule nod and he could feel her trying to relax, the tremors settling down gradually. The muffler made from his and her hands must have been enough to block out the noise, her other ear protected by her hand and the futon's mattress. Haruhi was settling down, though Kyouya could still hear the full force of the storm. Even with that in the background, he focused on her face and watched the eyes that were once shut so tightly, ease into a more natural closure.

_I don't do things like this. _He thought, the thunder taking longer to shudder through the atmosphere and his hand eased away from hers when he was sure she had fallen asleep, as she often did. _It's probably because it's you that I do these things._

He wanted to touch her again; his palm hot from being against the skin of her hand for so long and now his fingertips wanted another trace of flesh that altered from a hand. Hooking his fingers over the edge of her sleeve, he drew it down her arm a bit, exposing some of the thin arm hidden away by the pink sweater.

She stirred and he paused but her hand slid from her ear and drooped limply upon the futon beside her face, palm up and fingers curved. Kyouya surveyed her face, wondering how it was that they both managed to fall asleep during this visitation within an hour.

Perhaps he wasn't the only one with a lot on his mind here.

Tracing from her palm to where her sleeve bunched up near her elbow with his fingertips, Kyouya eased the sweater right again and dragged the digits over her face; brushing aside her bangs and revealing her ear. She looked smaller than he remembered, even if she was becoming a junior now and months allowed her hair to grow only just since then; she was rather fragile looking, especially after witnessing her cowering before.

_What is it about you that makes me able to be affectionate? You're not a very manipulating person, Fujioka, Haruhi. So what is it? Is it not "like" after all? Should I just admit in advance to myself that I may just be in love with you? _Removing his hand, he turned about and put his back to her, bracing his elbows on his thighs and resting his chin upon his laced fingers, eyes closed, ears shut to the weakening storm. _Storms never last long…and neither does affection._

She rolled over onto her back and he felt her arm bump against the base of his spine as she settled into her slumber further. The slight nudge made him twist back around to see her and the devil sighed, smiling a bit to himself.

It couldn't be helped.

Shifting further, Kyouya braced a hand upon the futon on the other side of her and leaned down over Haruhi.

_But I guess…_

He touched his lips to hers.

_...You can encounter more than one storm in a day._

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Well, there you have it, Kyouya's shortened plot. I tried to get everything out that he could tell to Haruhi and then I thought I would go ahead and give him his moment with her so that Kyouya and Haruhi fans will have a little more to go with before the end of this fic. I hope it was ok. Next chapter will be the final one so I hope you're ready for an anti-climatic ending. I got really lazy on that one. -- Sorry.**_


	10. Everyone Loves the Host Club!

**_Chapter Ten_**

**_Everyone Loves the Host Club!_**

* * *

****

For a while Kyouya had to explain to a surprised Ranka that Haruhi had just then fallen asleep and he had already called a car so there was no need to concern himself with his presence, even though she was passed out in her room. She owed him for explaining that they were waiting for the car to arrive when she fell asleep in the middle of discussing what he had been up too. Passing it off as boring her to sleep seemed to satisfy Ranka and Ootori was in the car and heading home before you could even think of the word "Liar."

The driver asked him about his night for the first few minutes of the drive but after Kyouya ignored the inquiries, he silenced. Kyouya did not feeling like opening up to anyone else that night. He just wanted to sleep off the weariness his day brought upon him that the mini-nap failed to satiate.

When he took the time to check his phone on the way, he could see that Tamaki had been trying to call him since the storm. The phone had been on silent since he did not expect any calls that evening and yet there they were. Fifteen missed calls, all from every phone Tamaki could get his hands on in his manor. There were a few from the other hosts but he could have guessed that Tamaki was behind those calls as well. The thought of the blond pouring over a phone, listening intently to the ringing until his voicemail came on before shouting a desperate message into the mouthpiece made him chuckle, looking out the window just as he deleted the missed calls from the register.

If Suoh wanted to talk to him, let him come to him.

* * *

The room was silent; it always was whenever he was home. The servants cleared out the moment they were aware that he had pulled into the driveway and would not disturb him when he slept if they wished to keep their lives, let alone their jobs. He wasn't sure how long he had been home, having not been able to accomplish much before his door was suddenly flung open.

"Kyouya!"

The teen's brow rose at the sight of Tamaki Suoh standing in the doorway.

"That was fast." He mused; sounding impressed as he turned around and sat down upon the white couch.

"Kyouya, where have you been?" Suoh demanded, rushing over to him and Ootori glanced up just in time to notice his older sister smiling apologetically at him as she shut the door to give them privacy.

So, Fuyumi had been responsible for notifying Tamaki of his return.

"I've been in town."

"What could you have been doing there?! Why didn't you pick up your phone when I called?"

"It was on silent. Besides, I wasn't expecting any phone calls, especially as late as it is now." Kyouya sighed, shifting his glasses, "But, since you are here…mind telling me why you called?"

That calmed Suoh down immediately, the blond lowering his eyes to the floor and appearing a bit embarrassed as he nudged at the blue rug fibers that claimed most of the flooring in the room. It was obvious why he was here and why he called him so desperately. Kyouya knew what it was ever since he left the host club, and that was the exact reason.

He wanted him back in the club.

"Kyouya, are you really ok with being out of the club?" Tamaki asked, lifting his eyes a bit, "When you quit you were out of there so quickly I couldn't tell if you really wanted to leave or not."

Bingo.

"I said I had matters that took up my time and so I had to drop out of the club in order to finish them off."

"Are you finished then?" he looked hopeful.

"Not yet. Someone has to make the final move before I am completely free to do what I want again." He smirked, resting his arm over the back of the couch.

"Is there something I can do?"

That was what he was waiting to hear from him, which made everything closer to ending than he thought. It was a bit exciting to know that Suoh was finally saying the right words and asking the right questions for once. Also, it could have been because he was tired of nothing to do. Kyouya left the host club but he had nothing to do. Car rides, television, visits to foreign countries on breaks…everything imaginable, he managed to do, but in the end he was left without something to fall back on. Not even checking on the progress of his father's work with the company.

"You sure you want to help?"

The blond nodded feverently.

"It may take some thought, a difficult task for you, I imagine."

The pout that spread across the King's face made him chuckle, missing that expression was something he didn't expect. Exposure to Haruhi must have had some aftershocks of tenderness left to make him treasure those little tid-bits of personality belonging to his friend.

"Alright." He rose from the couch and approached Tamaki, standing in front of him and ignoring then barely noticeable difference in height between them. "I want you to think about last year. You realize what I am mentioning? During the Ouran festival. Think, think really hard and I'm sure you will know what I'm talking about."

And so he did, Tamaki thought about it, shutting his eyes and folding his arms as he reminisced back to that time in their lives. He needed to make a recollection of what he had done to cause something memorable from that festival. But what did he do that had anything to do with Kyouya's time?

"Any hints?" he asked, peeking over at him with one eye.

"None."

Groaning, he went back to thinking. The gears were turning, slowly but surely. Time was an excellent thief of memories, but if given the right amount of a space to ponder, he would eventually recall it. He was an idiot, but he was also second in his class. Something had to be floating around in that yellow head of his.

He remembered the festival's activities and the ecstatic parents…and then he recalled Éclair, the girl who had become his momentary fiancé and promised a meeting with his mother. Suoh remembered his grandmother and her words to him, the way they stung yet he continued to smile for her and obeyed without question. The more he thought about it and how it might have something to do with Kyouya's actions, the more the realization slowly dawned on him.

It came back as clearly as if he was watching it within one of his inner-mind theaters.

"_Once the Ouran Festival is over, the Host Club will be dissolved."_

* * *

The way Tamaki's eyes snapped open told Kyouya what he needed to know.

One desperate look shot directly at him created the cue that it was his turn to agknowledge his thoughts. He gave a slow nod to confirm the blonde's memory, unsmiling. "You realize that statement was what triggered everything that followed afterwards." Kyouya said, turning away and returning to the sofa.

"But that was—"

"Forgotten? No, not by me." He said, jerking around and narrowing his eyes at the Idiot King, "You made a grave mistake in sacrificing the club in order to see your mother, Tamaki. While the others forgave you, I took it upon myself to ensure you were punished for believing you would dissolve everything we created just on a whim."

"I understand that it was selfish of me, but I wanted to see her, Kyouya!"

"Then we'll go to France and look for her!" Kyouya snapped, "Selling yourself off to the Tonnerre family was hardly befitting of a guarantee to see your mother!"

"Your father's company—"

"I spared it from them by purchasing it before they could."

Suoh's jaw must have dropped to the floor, making it hard for him to continue to be short with him. He continued with a much more calm tone in his voice, slowly sitting back upon the couch. "I didn't inform you of that, because it was something I wanted to keep to myself from the person who taught me how to overcome my brothers."

Tamaki sobered up enough to notice the small smile on Kyouya's face and he found himself smiling in return. A boyish smile that made him appear even more like he did the day they met in their final year of middle school.

"Have you learned your lesson then?"

"Ah—so, being hosted by Haruhi…that was a part of trying to punish me?" The confusion returned in the blink of an eye.

"Only a minor stage, you recovered from it quicker than I expected because of Haruhi's influence over you and how you are maturing. The finalé was leaving the Host Club. That gave you a taste of what I encountered when you made that stupid announcement that day. I couldn't express it because it is not in my nature to be effected outwardly by something or someone…but I was just as shocked as the others, if not angered. You dragged me into it the day you told me of your plans and I helped you."

"You left, because of what I did then." Tamaki murmured, but snapped out of his shock and looked directly at Ootori. "But, everyone is over the festival now. There's no need for you to be out of the Host Club anymore!"

"On the contrary, I have a reason to stay away. You have to tell me otherwise before I will re-join, not that I expect everything to go back to the way it was if I _do_ go back."

"What do you want me to do, Kyouya? I'll do it!" he said quickly.

"I want to know if my plans were well spent on you. Do you regret what you did?" Kyouya asked, fixing his glassed again.

"Yes!" he said, striding over and dropping to his knees, "Kyouya, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were still mad about what I said that day! I don't know what I was thinking, I regret it! I regret everything about that day! I just want you back with the club! It's not the same without you there!"

Ootori was silent as he looked down at the teenager kneeling beside his legs, his hands grasping one of his own before he realized it and the pleading eyes made him falter inside.

He turned his head away and sighed. Playing hard to get was a game that got old fast.

"You really want me back that badly?"

"Yes, yes!"

Another sigh, "I guess it can't be helped."

Slowly looking back to Tamaki, he noticed that the blonde's eyes had watered up but his face was split into a ridiculous grin that made him immediately want to change his mind just to erase that stupid smile off of his face. However, he ended up smiling a little himself, feeling some-what relieved to know that he had been asked to come back. And from the looks of it, he would be back in the position of Vice President as well.

"Kyouya, Thank you!" he cried, jumping up and throwing out his arms to embrace him until Kyouya used his foot to push him away.

"Back off."

"Oh, by the way, Kyouya…" Tamaki recovered from regret and over-excessive happiness quickly. He was already speaking in that clueless tone again when Kyouya lowered his leg and rest back against the couch again.

"Hm?"

"You said once that you like someone. Who is it?"

The Shadow King raised an eyebrow at this sudden question but averted his eyes and smiled off at nothing. "I don't plan on telling _you_ anytime soon."

"Oh, why not?"

"Because an idiot should stay oblivious to feelings they don't understand." Kyouya said, pushing him over with his foot again.

_Besides, it's more fun to be rival to an idiot._

* * *

"Look who's back!"

"Ah—Kyou-chan!"

"Kyouya-senpai!"

"How did you get him back without any restraints?"

"Kyouya-sama!"

Kyouya moved around Tamaki and the numerous squeals coming from customers already sitting at tables in the room. Standing beside one of the tables, he observed the contents upon it and saw that there was a whole cake on each table ready to serve but definitely different than he remembered.

"You realize the cakes will dry out if you let them sit out too long, right?" he asked, turning to the club with a dangerous gleam in his glasses.

"W-We thought it would be better to have the cake ready for someone to take as much as they wanted." Hunny said, clinging to his bunny.

If he could still intimidate Hunny in spite of the fact he and Mori had already graduated, he was certain that he wouldn't have to work too hard to go back to work for the club. Looking up at Tamaki and resting a hand on his hip, the blond made a mute nod and immediately started to order his subjects to take the cakes off of the tables and back into their storage, one cake would be served a slice at a time and fresh instant coffee would be made immediately since many of the cups were growing cool at this point.

Kyouya worked through Tamaki to get the ball rolling, things appearing more and more as they used to be and Ootori couldn't deny that he was happy to see it all again.

"Kyouya-senpai."

He turned around and Haruhi was there, smiling a bit as she withdrew something from behind her back and held it up for him to take. "If you haven't bought a new one already, we kept it in one piece since you left."

The black notebook in her hands was a forgotten sight, he plucked it from her and let it fall open, fitting in his fingers and thumb as if it belonged there all over again.

Which it did.

"Thank you, Haruhi." He glanced over at her, "But I would get back to your guests if I were you."

She frowned, but soon enough, her lips curved up into a smile and she was off to re-join her customers. Watching her wonder back to her table brought back memories, he had watched her leave for her charges countless times before but today there was another memory that surpassed the others. It was of the day he was with her in her room and consoling her as the thunderstorm rattled the doors or the rain drummed harder on the roof. That one kiss that she would never remember would be one to haunt him the rest of his life…whether or not there would be more one day, he would have to wait and see.

* * *

"You know, I didn't expect you to come back so suddenly, Kyouya-senpai." Kaoru said, leaning on the back of a chair; observing Kyouya's hands as he typed away at his laptop with one hand holding papers marking the funds the club had gone through in his absence that he knew he would have to calculate and sort through before they made any more purchases. It was strenuous work, but he didn't mind it at this point.

They went way over budget in his absense and profits were rather low as well.

"I would apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I think everyone knows why I won't." he said, not looking up from the screen.

"No, no one expected an apology from you. I think we missed you too much to want an apology." Kaoru mused, watching Tamaki pitch a fit while Hikaru teased him by clinging to Haruhi. He had snuck away from the twin to get a few words out of the long lost Cool host before the day passed by too quickly.

"I suppose you caught onto my intentions shortly after I allowed you and Hikaru to have Haruhi for a day."

"Well, I didn't understand your motive for it…but I figured that you would be up to something. Mostly I thought that you just wanted to spend time with Haruhi that Tono wouldn't have been able to do because of his popularity with customers."

Ootori's fingers paused and he lifted his eyes to the younger twin, smiling very slightly, "I suppose you could come to that conclusion in the end. I did want to try a few things with Haruhi that he wouldn't as long as there were customers around."

"So, you like Haruhi?"

"Tell me which of us do not in some way. I would _love_ to have a few names."

Kaoru shrugged, "Point taken. She's drawn us all in, hasn't she?"

"It appears so. I've spent enough time around her to feel that change she manages to make all who are around her encounter. I'm not myself when she's close…perhaps that happened because I had her with me that week."

"You have had her longer than any of us." Kaoru pointed out, resting his chin into his palm, elbow on the back of the chair.

"It seems that way. But there's nothing for the others to worry about. I have already decided that she will not end up with me any time soon." Kyouya said, adjusting his glasses again before glancing off at Haruhi, who was back at her table and talking casually while one of her customers leaned a little closer to her to listen more intently. "That time was a punishment to our Idiot King, but also to satisfy myself."

"And were you satisfied?"

Kyouya smirked and looked up at the more intellectual twin once more.

"I am _never_ satisfied."

* * *

A/N:

Alright, there you have it. I would love some final reviews so I know whether or not to try and write a sequal where Kyouya and Haruhi may just get together...but if it's better left alone then I'll do that. Thank you for reading this and I'm sorry I'm so poor at making people clever. I'm really stupid so it's hard to write smart. Goodbye!


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